Integrating use of beneficial organisms with chemical crop protection

1988 ◽  
Vol 318 (1189) ◽  
pp. 203-211 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Beneficial Insects ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Beneficial Organisms

The selectivity of insecticides, particularly of pyrethroids, is described and possibilities are proposed for further development of selectivity. The production of beneficial organisms resistant to pesticides by techniques including genetic manipulation is discussed. Preliminary studies on the use of semiochemicals to improve the efficiency of entomophagous pathogens in controlling pest infestations, and for monitoring and manipulating populations of beneficial insects, are described. The prospects for genetic manipulation of crop plants to improve predation and parasitism of pests are also discussed.

Production of behaviour-controlling chemicals by crop plants

1985 ◽  
Vol 310 (1144) ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Insect Pheromones ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Invertebrate Pests

The possibilities of breeding crop plants that produce insect pheromones and other behaviour-controlling chemicals and of obtaining antifeedants from natural sources for protection against invertebrate pests are discussed. The possible role of genetic manipulation in these approaches to crop protection is also considered.

scholarly journals Listening to Slugs: Acceptability and Consumption of Molluscicide Pellets by the Grey Field Slug, Deroceras reticulatum

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 548
Author(s):  
Samantha Mirhaya de Silva ◽  
David Chesmore ◽  
Jack Smith ◽  
Gordon Port
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Active Ingredient ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Deroceras Reticulatum ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Ferric Phosphate ◽  
Significant Difference

Gastropod damage to crop plants has a significant economic impact on agricultural and horticultural industries worldwide, with the Grey Field Slug (Deroceras reticulatum (Müller)) considered the main mollusc pest in the United Kingdom and in many other temperate areas. The prevailing form of crop protection is pellets containing the active ingredient, metaldehyde. Metaldehyde can cause paralysis and death in the mollusc, depending on the amount ingested. The paralysing effects may result in reduced pellet consumption. A greater understanding of metaldehyde consumption may reveal an area that can be manipulated using novel molluscicide formulations. Novel pellet types included commercial metaldehyde pellets coated so that metaldehyde is released more slowly. In both laboratory and arena trials, an audio sensor was used to record individual slugs feeding on a variety of pellet types, including commercially available toxic pellets (metaldehyde and ferric phosphate) and novel metaldehyde formulations. The sensor was used to record the length of each bite and the total number of bites. There was no significant difference in the length of bites between pellet types in laboratory trials. Novel pellets were not consumed more than commercial pellet types. Commercial pellet types did not differ in consumption.

scholarly journals Enhancing (crop) plant photosynthesis by introducing novel genetic diversity

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1730) ◽  
pp. 20160380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Dann ◽  
Dario Leister
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Plant Evolution ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Crop Plant ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Plant Photosynthesis ◽  
Successful Establishment

Although some elements of the photosynthetic light reactions might appear to be ideal, the overall efficiency of light conversion to biomass has not been optimized during evolution. Because crop plants are depleted of genetic diversity for photosynthesis, efforts to enhance its efficiency with respect to light conversion to yield must generate new variation. In principle, three sources of natural variation are available: (i) rare diversity within extant higher plant species, (ii) photosynthetic variants from algae, and (iii) reconstruction of no longer extant types of plant photosynthesis. Here, we argue for a novel approach that outsources crop photosynthesis to a cyanobacterium that is amenable to adaptive evolution. This system offers numerous advantages, including a short generation time, virtually unlimited population sizes and high mutation rates, together with a versatile toolbox for genetic manipulation. On such a synthetic bacterial platform, 10 000 years of (crop) plant evolution can be recapitulated within weeks. Limitations of this system arise from its unicellular nature, which cannot reproduce all aspects of crop photosynthesis. But successful establishment of such a bacterial host for crop photosynthesis promises not only to enhance the performance of eukaryotic photosynthesis but will also reveal novel facets of the molecular basis of photosynthetic flexibility. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Enhancing photosynthesis in crop plants: targets for improvement’.

scholarly journals Plant Genetics as a Tool for Manipulating Crop Microbiomes: Opportunities and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayla M. Clouse ◽  
Maggie R. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Human Population ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Current State ◽  
Limited Success ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Host Genetic ◽  
Modern Breeding ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Plant Microbiome ◽  
Beneficial Organisms

Growing human population size and the ongoing climate crisis create an urgent need for new tools for sustainable agriculture. Because microbiomes have profound effects on host health, interest in methods of manipulating agricultural microbiomes is growing rapidly. Currently, the most common method of microbiome manipulation is inoculation of beneficial organisms or engineered communities; however, these methods have been met with limited success due to the difficulty of establishment in complex farm environments. Here we propose genetic manipulation of the host plant as another avenue through which microbiomes could be manipulated. We discuss how domestication and modern breeding have shaped crop microbiomes, as well as the potential for improving plant-microbiome interactions through conventional breeding or genetic engineering. We summarize the current state of knowledge on host genetic control of plant microbiomes, as well as the key challenges that remain.

Achievements and limitations of seed treatments

1975 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 271-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
I W Callan
Keyword(s):  
Seed Treatment ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Seed Treatments ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Pests And Diseases

In spite of impressive new developments in the field of crop protection over the last three decades, seed treatment probably remains the cheapest and simplest method of controlling certain pests and diseases of major crop plants. The overall benefits which result are measured in millions of tons of extra grain harvested each year, in addition to large gains in other feed crops as well as cotton.

scholarly journals Allelopathy and Agricultural Sustainability: Implication in weed management and crop protection—an overview

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
Zahir Muhammad ◽  
Naila Inayat ◽  
Abdul Majeed ◽  
Hazrat Ali ◽  
Kaleem Ullah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Agricultural Sustainability ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Diverse Plant

Abstract Crop plants have defined roles in agricultural production and feeding the world. They are affected by several environmental and biological stresses, which range from soil salinity, drought, and climate change to exposure to diverse plant pathogens. These stresses pose risk to agricultural sustainability. To avoid the increasing biotic and abiotic pressure on crop plants, agrochemicals are extensively used in agriculture for attaining desirable yield and production of crops. However, the use of agrochemicals is also challenging the integrity of ecosystems. Thus, to maintain the integrity of ecosystem, sustainable measures for elevated crop production are required. Allelopathy, a process of chemical interactions between plants and other organisms, could be used in the management of several biotic and abiotic stresses if the basic mechanisms of the phenomena and plants with allelopathic potentials are known. Allelopathy has a promising future for its application in agriculture for natural weed management, improving soil health and suppressing plant diseases. The aim of this review is to discuss the importance of allelopathy in agriculture and its role in sustainability with a specific focus on weed management and crop protection.

Improving nutrient capture from soil by the genetic manipulation of crop plants

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 356-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E Hirsch ◽  
Michael R Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Crop Plants

scholarly journals Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (34) ◽  
pp. 16817-16822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Calvo-Agudo ◽  
Joel González-Cabrera ◽  
Yolanda Picó ◽  
Pau Calatayud-Vernich ◽  
Alberto Urbaneja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Carbohydrate Source ◽  
Nontarget Organisms ◽  
Beneficial Insects ◽  
Insecticide Exposure ◽  
Negative Side Effects ◽  
Phloem Feeding ◽  
Beneficial Organisms

Pest control in agriculture is mainly based on the application of insecticides, which may impact nontarget beneficial organisms leading to undesirable ecological effects. Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides. However, they have important negative side effects, especially for pollinators and other beneficial insects feeding on nectar. Here, we identify a more accessible exposure route: Neonicotinoids reach and kill beneficial insects that feed on the most abundant carbohydrate source for insects in agroecosystems, honeydew. Honeydew is the excretion product of phloem-feeding hemipteran insects such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, and psyllids. We allowed parasitic wasps and pollinating hoverflies to feed on honeydew from hemipterans feeding on trees treated with thiamethoxam or imidacloprid, the most commonly used neonicotinoids. LC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that both neonicotinoids were present in honeydew. Honeydew with thiamethoxam was highly toxic to both species of beneficial insects, and honeydew with imidacloprid was moderately toxic to hoverflies. Collectively, our data provide strong evidence for honeydew as a route of insecticide exposure that may cause acute or chronic deleterious effects on nontarget organisms. This route should be considered in future environmental risk assessments of neonicotinoid applications.

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