Cowpea beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera:
Chrysomelidae) is one of the most dangerous insect pests in field and storage. It
causes a high damage to the legumes by decreased dietary values, germination and
seed weights. Using synthetic insecticides for controlling stored grain pests have a
lot of problems for humans and environment. Therefore, the mixing seeds
laboratory experiments were conducted to study the efficacy of certain alternative
safety compounds against C. maculatus such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium
anisopliae, ascorbic acid, boric acid, talc powder and kaolin compared with an
organophosphorus nervous insecticide, malathion 1% dust, that recommended in
Egypt for controlling stored grain pests. The present results showed that the
malathion was the highest toxicity effect against cowpea beetle adults with
LC50(3.89 ppm) after 3-day post treatment. However, the boric acid was the lowest
toxicity effect with LC50 (72855 ppm) after 6 days post treatment. The other tested
materials showed moderate effects. These results indicate that malathion is still
having high effect against cowpea beetle. The toxicity of bio-insecticides (M.
anisopliae and B. bassiana) after 6days were more than toxicity malathion 1%dust
after 1day.Wheraes, the toxicity of bio-insecticides (M. anisopliae and B.
bassiana) increased with increase of period of exposure from 2 to 6 days high rates
about 28 times, 31 times, respectively. The findings showed that the tested
compounds have a promising insecticidal activity against C. maculatus and can be
used as possible alternatives to synthetic chemical insecticides such as malathion
for the control of stored product insects.
 

Worldwide, the bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, (R. padi) affects wheat, sorghum, and other grain crops, and conventional pesticides to control this aphid negatively affects the surrounding environment. Therefore, knowing the entomotoxicity of different chemical compounds against R. padi is an important step to control these pests. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the toxicity of different nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulators (thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and sulfoxaflor) and the octopamine receptor agonists’ (ORAs hereon) synergistic effect (chlordimeform and amitraz) on the selected pesticides’ toxicity against R. padi adults. We found that chlordimeform was more effective than amitraz (LC50: 144.01 and 238.33 μg/mL, respectively), after 24-h of exposure. Sulfoxaflor was the most toxic pesticide (LC50 values were 4.61 and 0.44 μg/mL), whereas we identified acetamiprid as the least potent one (LC50 values were 111.82 and 88.69 μg/ mL). Thiamethoxam was the most effective neonicotinoid pesticide among those we used. Chlordimeform and amitraz had synergized effects with the surveyed pesticides, with amitraz showing the highest synergistic ratio. These findings indicate that ORAs are promising tools to increase the selected pesticides’ effectiveness on R. padi control, which may contribute to the decrease in the use of generic pesticides, the emergence of resistant strains, and, consequently, their impacts on the environment.

Abstract

Background

The object of this work was to evaluate of the hepatic effects of the herbicides glyphosate-Roundup® by different doses in both sexes of albino rats.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that the administration of glyphosate-Roundup® in different doses may cause adverse effects on the histopathological, ultrastructure, and biochemical alternations on the liver of the albino rats.

Introduction

Alternaria solani is a challenging pathogen in the tomato crop globally. Chemical control is a rapid approach, but emerging fungicide resistance has become a severe threat. The present study investigates the use of culture filtrates (CFs) of three species of Trichoderma spp. to control this disease.

Methods

Highly virulent A. solani strain and three Trichoderma fungal strains viz., T. harzianum (Accession No: MW590687), T. atroviride (Accession No: MW590689) and T. longibrachiatum (Accession No: MW590688) previously isolated by authors were used in this study. The efficacy of culture filtrates (CFs) to mitigate early blight disease were tested under greenhouse and field conditions, experiments were conducted in different seasons of 2020 using a tomato variety “doucen”.

Results and discussion

The CFs of T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum, and T. atroviride significantly inhibited the in vitro mycelial growth of A. solani (62.5%, 48.73%, and 57.82%, respectively, followed by control 100%). In the GC–MS analysis of Trichoderma CF volatile compounds viz., harzianic acid (61.86%) in T. harzianum, linoleic acid (70.02%) in T. atroviride, and hydroxymethylfurfural (68.08%) in the CFs of T. longibrachiatum, were abundantly present. Foliar application of CFs in the greenhouse considerably reduced the disease severity (%) in all treatments, viz., T. harzianum (18.03%), T. longibrachiatum (31.91%), and T. atroviride (23.33%), followed by infected control (86.91%), and positively affected the plant biomarkers. In the greenhouse, the plants treated with CFs demonstrated higher flavonoids after 6 days of inoculation, whereas phenolic compounds increased after 2 days. The CF-treated plants demonstrated higher antioxidant enzymes, i.e., phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POD), after 4 days, whereas polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was higher after 6 days of inoculation, followed by healthy and infected controls. In open field conditions, disease severity in CF-treated plants was reduced in both seasons as compared to naturally infected plants, whereas CF-treated plants exhibited a higher fruit yield than controls. The present results conclude that CFs can be a potential biocontrol candidate and a promising alternative to the early blight pathogen for sustainable production.

Intensive potato cultivation affects weed species composition by selecting dominant and competitive weeds that represent a constraint of potato productivity. Field experiments were conducted during 2015 and 2016 growing seasons to examine the effects of soil tillage (plowing (PL), spading (SM), sub soiling (SS)) and fertilizer source (mineral (Min) and organic (Org)) on potato yield and weed community under Mediterranean environment. A randomized complete block design with three replications was adopted. Weed density and biomass were measured at the potato harvesting time. Weed density was highest in SS, intermediate in SM, and lowest in PL (43.8, 40.3, and 28.8 plants m⁻²). Similar trend was observed in weed biomass. Weed density and biomass were higher in Org than Min (42.1 vs. 36.4 plants m⁻² and 129.6 vs. 117.9 g m⁻², respectively). Perennial, monocot, and dicot weed species were the most abundant in subsoiling (13.1, 9.3 and 34.5 plants m⁻²). Density of perennial and dicot species were higher in Org than Min. Monocots were mostly linked with Min, while dicots were mainly associated with Org. Although tuber yield was higher in PL and Min (481.9 and 627.5 g m⁻² of DM), it was affected by growing season and might be associated to SM and Org. Although the study shows that increased weed biodiversity in the system, achieved with more sustainable practices, proves to be an obstacle to potato production, the adoption of spading machine applied in combination with mineral and organic fertilizers could be a valid alternative to plowing. Further studies are required to develop sustainable agricultural techniques able to improve the competitive capacity of crops and reduce the selection of dominant weed species.

Farming practices such as cover cropping, crop rotation systems, and soil tillage practices, along with climate conditions and soil type play important roles in determining final crop production. Numerous empirical studies have documented the heterogeneous effects of cover crops on the yield of successive crops, exhibiting variations across diverse regions, climate regimes, soil characteristics, cover crop types, and agricultural management practices. A meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively summarize and evaluate the impact of cover crops (CCs) in the agroecosystem. The main goal of the study is to promote a transition towards more sustainable cereal crop production by exploring the potential of currently unexploited CCs in Europe. The study demonstrated that the incorporation of legume CCs resulted in the most pronounced and statistically significant increase in grain yield among cereal crops. CCs from the Brassicaceae family also demonstrated a positive impact on grain yield under southern European climates. Cover cropping had a positive effect on the subsequent cash crop under conventional tillage practice. A positive, but not significant impact, was detected under both conservation tillage practices, which include reduced tillage (RT) and no-till (NT). The result of the study suggests that NT practices are more suitable for Northern Europe, while RT practices are preferable for Southern Europe zones. This study indicates that the adoption of cover cropping represents a viable and effective agronomic strategy for enhancing grain yield in cereal crops cultivated across European agricultural systems.

There are numerous food safety aspects that must be taken into consideration by organic food producers and processors to ensure the safety and quality of their products. The application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, together with the implementation of good hygiene practices (GHP), ensures that food safety and process hygiene criteria are met. This study was based on a survey conducted among 316 producers and processors representing the organic food sector in five European countries (Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Italy and Poland). The knowledge and experience of organic food operators with HACCP systems were evaluated. Moreover, their needs and expectations towards assistance (training, guidance materials) that could improve the level of knowledge and compliance with respective food safety rules and regulations were assessed. The need for support on a number of issues related to food safety and guidance documents on the application of HACCP principles were also identified. This study provides highlights of the application of HACCP principles, with particular focus on identifying priorities and needs for two types of food operators (food producers and food processors). Although most of the surveyed food operators were confirmed to have basic knowledge regarding the HACCP system, there was a lack of understanding of the system principles. The needs and expectations varied among the studied countries and types of organic operators. Recognition of the full potential of the HACCP system requires assistance, particularly in the preparation of documents and records. Further research is needed to understand the implications of these findings and to identify effective strategies to improve the HACCP knowledge of food operators.

Several strategies have been proposed recently to reduce the accumulated harmful circumstances of intensive conventional farming practices. The adoption of conservation soil tillage and organic fertilization techniques could contribute to achieving this goal. The study was conducted over a three-year trial to assess the effects of soil tillage practices (plough; subsoil; spading) and fertilization management (inorganic vs. organic) on durum wheat growth dynamics and productivity in a Mediterranean environment. The chlorophyll concentration (CC) was evaluated using an MC-100 chlorophyll meter, and Green Area (GA) was extracted from red-green-blue (RGB) digital images acquired with a commercially available digital camera. These non-destructive low-cost methods were used to examine crop status and its reactions to climate conditions over three consecutive growing seasons in the field. A positive strong linear relationship between both CC and GA against grain yield in each growing season was identified. The study highlights that CC and GA methods are valuable tools to assess crop development under Mediterranean conditions. The results indicated that the applied conservation tillage systems, such as subsoil tillage and using the spading machine, along with organic fertilization with compost, are valuable choices in the Mediterranean basin for sustainable and higher crop production (13%) compared to the conventional traditional system.