Analysis of Compounding and Broadband Extinction Properties of Novel Bioaerosols

Artificially prepared microbial spores have excellent electromagnetic attenuation properties due to their special composition and structure. At present, studies on the optical properties of microbial spores have mainly focused on those with a single band or a single germplasm, which has limitations and cannot reveal the optical properties comprehensively. In this paper, 3 kinds of laboratory-prepared microbial spores were selected for compounding, and the spectral reflectivities of single-germplasm biospores and compound biospores were measured in the wavebands of 0.25–2.4 and 3–15 μm. The complex refractive indices (CRIs) were calculated in combination with the Kramers–Kronig (K-K) algorithm. Relying on the smoke box broadband test system, the transmittance of single-germplasm bioaerosols and compound bioaerosols from the ultraviolet (UV) band to the far-infrared (FIR) band was measured, and the mass extinction coefficients were calculated. The results indicate that the trend of the complex refractive indices of the compound spores is consistent with that of the single-germplasm spores with a larger particle size. For the single-germplasm bioaerosols, the lowest transmittance values were 2.21, 5.70 and 6.27% in the visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and middle-infrared (FIR) bands, and the mass extinction coefficients reached 1.15, 0.87 and 0.84 m2/g, respectively. When AO and BB spores were compounded at 4:1, the extinction performance of the bioaerosols somewhat improved in all wavebands. These results can help to comprehensively analyze the optical properties of bioaerosols and provide ideas for the development of new extinction materials.

Selection and evaluation of environmentally friendly pesticides, biological preparations and resistant variety samples against harmful objects of gourds in the conditions of the south-east of Kazakhstan

In the Republic of Kazakhstan melons and gourds are produced mainly in the traditional way, that is, by using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The production of environmentally friendly melons is at the initial stage of its development. There is no organic melon growing at all. Considering the huge export potential of melons among other crops cultivated in the country (the total supply of melons and melons on the domestic market is 472%), the great economic and social significance of the transition of the melon industry to organic production is growing. In the future, Kazakhstan may be in the center of attention of the world community as a manufacturer and supplier of environmentally friendly (organic) melons, and environmentally friendly, natural melons may well become a brand of our sovereign state. To do this, it is necessary to make fundamental changes in the melon industry of the country. In general, the transition of agricultural production to an organic direction will contribute to the consumption of the safest and most useful products by the local population. Here, one should also take into account the decrease in the immunity of the human body due to various diseases, including those associated with the coronavirus pandemic. It should also be taken into account that only a limited number of pesticides used against harmful objects in agriculture act as intended, and most of the toxic substances spread into the environment. The use of disinfectants without scientific support has a negative impact on flora and fauna, being deposited in the soil and irrigation system of fields for a long time, thereby causing enormous damage to the environment. Given the above facts, our scientific research was aimed at the selection of pesticides and biological preparations with high biological and economic efficiency, low rates and frequency of treatments, as well as varieties with high resistance to fungal diseases of melons (watermelon, melon). Research work was carried out on the experimental plots of the Regional Branch "Kainar" of the LLP "Kazakh Research Institute of Horticulture" in the period 2020-2021. The studies used classical methods generally accepted in melon growing. The results obtained are new and relevant, and in the future, will contribute to the transition from traditional melon growing to biological.

Arming the Pacific region against pests and disease

It is reported that networks developed through the ACIAR Pacific Plant Biosecurity Partnership programme continue to help strengthen capacity in the prevention of the spread of pests and disease in crops throughout the Pacific region, despite COVID-19 disrupting the programme. Participants from 9 Pacific countries have developed their skills, networks and capacity to facilitate trade and prevent the spread of disease. Relationships and resources created through the programme continue to provide support for information-sharing around plant pests and diseases.

An inaugural survey of cereal, oilseed and vegetable crop diseases in the Yukon Territory in 2020

Various kinds of field crops growing on two commercial farms in the Whitehorse area of the southern Yukon Territory were surveyed for diseases in summer 2020 by staff of the Agriculture Branch of the Government of Yukon. They included barley, wheat, canola, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and turnips. Fields were visited one or more times during July and August. The incidence and severity of diseases were visually assessed on a crop-by-crop basis and samples were collected for laboratory analysis of the pathogens present, if any. Both infectious and non-infectious diseases were present on most crops. The infectious diseases were caused by various species of plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi that were common on these crops growing in other areas of Canada. INTRODUCTION AND METHODS: The 2020 field crop disease survey is believed to be the first organized study of its kind on agricultural crops in the Territory. In his book, "An Annotated Index of Plant Diseases in Canada . . . ", I.L. Conners lists over 300 records of plant diseases on trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses in the Yukon that were published by individuals who were surveying forests and native vegetation mainly for federal government departments, universities and other agencies (Conners 1967). The objectives of the 2020 survey were: (1) to determine the kinds and levels of diseases on selected Yukon crops, (2) to identify the major pathogen species attacking Yukon crops, and (3) to use the results to plan future surveillance activities aimed at helping producers to improve their current disease management programs. All of the fields included in the 2020 survey were situated on two commercial farms, which were designated as Farm #1 and #2, in the Whitehorse area in the southern Yukon (Fig. 1). The crops surveyed included cereals (barley and wheat), oilseeds (canola) and vegetables (beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and turnips). Fields were visited one or more times in the mid- to late growing season (July/August) at a time when damage from diseases was most noticeable. Symptoms were visually assessed on a crop-by-crop basis by determining their incidence and severity. Incidence was represented by the percentage of plants, leaves, heads, kernels, etc., damaged in the target crop, while severity was estimated to be the proportion of the leaf, fruit, head, root/canopy area, etc., affected by a specific disease as follows: Proportion of the canopy affected based on a 0-4 rating scale, where: 0 = no disease symptoms, 1 = 1-10% of the crop canopy showing symptoms;2 = 11-25% showing symptoms, 3 = 26- 50% showing symptoms, and 4 = > 50% showing symptoms. Photographs of affected plants were taken and sent to plant pathologists across Western Canada for their opinions on causation. Where possible, representative samples of plants with disease symptoms were packaged and sent to the Alberta Plant Health Lab (APHL) in Edmonton, AB for diagnostic analyses. Background information, such as the general cultural practices and cropping history, was obtained from the producers wherever possible. GPS coordinates were obtained for each field to enable future mapping Cereals: Individual fields of barley (11 ha) and wheat (30 ha) located at Farm #1 were surveyed. The barley was a two-row forage cultivar 'CDC Maverick', while the wheat was an unspecified cultivar of Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) Wheat. Plant samples were taken along a W-shaped transect for a total of five sampling points for the barley field (< 20 ha) and ten sampling points for the wheat field (> 20 ha). The first visit, which occurred on July 30, involved visual inspection and destructive sampling wherein plants were collected and removed from the field for a detailed disease assessment at a lab space in Whitehorse. There, the roots were rinsed off and the plants were examined for disease symptoms. The second visit to these fields, which occurred on August 27, only involved visual examination of the standing crop. Oilseeds: A single 40 ha field of Polish canola (cv. 'Synergy') was examined o

Network of micro-laboratories for phytosanitary management of the vegetable supply chain (net micro-lab). (L'Accademia per il post Covid-19.)

Net micro-Lab: micro-laboratories network for phytosanitary management of the horticultural crops. The Net micro-Lab project aims at setting up a network of remotely managed micro- laboratories in order to minimise the impact of vegetable plant diseases and to reduce the environmental impact through early diagnosis according to the following main objectives: constitution of a production chain, with particular regard to tomato cultivation, composed of Nurseries, Farms and Producer Organisations (POs);ex-ante analysis on tomato seeds coming from foreign countries;creation of micro-laboratories interconnected to an accredited central laboratory;design of specific, sensitive and rapid diagnostic tools based on isothermal amplification (LAMP) or real-time PCR technique;and finally, development of a mobile app for continuous data management by the accredited laboratory.

A Quantum-Based Chameleon Swarm for Feature Selection

The Internet of Things is widely used, which results in the collection of enormous amounts of data with numerous redundant, irrelevant, and noisy features. In addition, many of these features need to be managed. Consequently, developing an effective feature selection (FS) strategy becomes a difficult goal. Many FS techniques, based on bioinspired metaheuristic methods, have been developed to tackle this problem. However, these methods still suffer from limitations;so, in this paper, we developed an alternative FS technique, based on integrating operators of the chameleon swarm algorithm (Cham) with the quantum-based optimization (QBO) technique. With the use of eighteen datasets from various real-world applications, we proposed that QCham is investigated and compared to well-known FS methods. The comparisons demonstrate the benefits of including a QBO operator in the Cham because the proposed QCham can efficiently and accurately detect the most crucial features. Whereas the QCham achieves nearly 92.6%, with CPU time(s) nearly 1.7 overall the tested datasets. This indicates the advantages of QCham among comparative algorithms and high efficiency of integrating the QBO with the operators of Cham algorithm that used to enhance the process of balancing between exploration and exploitation.

UrbanAgro: Utilizing advanced deep learning to support Sri Lankan urban farmers to detect and control common diseases in tomato plants

Plant diseases cause crucial damages and losses in crops around the entire world. Proper measures should be introduced on identifying plant diseases to prevent damages and minimize losses. With Covid-19 lockdowns, many urban dwellers are encouraged to grow their own foods. As most urban farmers do not tend to use pesticides in their farms, there is a high chance for the crops to get caught of various diseases. For the early detection of diseases on plants, different intelligence farming approaches such as machine learning and computer vision have been researched. The system proposed presents a practical, applicable solution for the identification of the type and location of five different types of leaves that include four types of diseased leaves and the healthy leaves of tomato plant, which is a significant difference from the conventional methods for plant disease classification. In this context, we have used YOLOv3 model that is a method based on transfer learning to diagnose tomato plant diseases using images taken in-place by camera devices on smartphones instead of users going through the procedure to collect, test, and analyze physical samples (leaves and plants) in the laboratory. The trained model achieved an average accuracy of 92%, which is exceptional in comparison to previous studies in this context. The target group of users is urban farmers who require a quick diagnosis on common tomato leaf diseases at any time of the day as they lack knowledge on diseases that are attached to plants. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Planning for the next pandemic: facts and figures

The world is not prepared,” said the report by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), a body co-convened by the World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO). According to the World Wide Fund For Nature, three or four new zoonotic diseases are emerging each year, and the problem is likely to worsen because of the need to feed a growing population and demand for wild meat as both a necessity and delicacy. According to the GPMB, the 20 per cent fall in Sierra Leone was enough to wipe out five years of development. [...]pressure looks set to grow to contain crop diseases, amid the world’s growing population and a rise in the number of people facing food insecurity from 23 per cent in 2014 to 26 per cent in 2018, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

The next pandemic is coming — now is the time to unite

Speed read The hunt is on for Disease X COVID-19 has weakened global surveillance One Health approaches critical The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of disease risk as global surveillance systems reach breaking point, while rising meat consumption forces animal species together at an unprecedented rate. In the global South, demand for animal protein has more than tripled meat production over the past 50 years, with milk production nearly doubling and egg output rising more than three-fold. Scientists say stronger biosecurity measures in the global food system could help prevent future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases — those that jump from animals to people.

17th Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP-17), Online, 25-30 July 2021

Originally, the 17th Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP-17) was scheduled to take place in Leiden, The Netherlands, in July 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the symposium was postponed to July 2021 and held in an exclusively online format. This exceptional edition has resulted in four strong contributions to the journal. It is with great pleasure that we now present a themed issue including the proceedings of SIP-17, supplemented with eight regular articles within the subject of insect-plant relationships.

Addressing biohazards to food security in primary production

This review addresses ways to prepare for and to mitigate effects of biohazards on primary production of crops and livestock. These biohazards can be natural or intentional introductions of pathogens, and they can cause major economic damage to farmers, the agricultural industry, society, and international trade. Agroterrorism is the intentional introduction of animal or plant pathogens into agricultural production systems with the intention to cause socioeconomic harm and generate public fear. Although few acts of agroterrorism are reported, the threat of agroterrorism in Europe is real. New concerns about threats arise from the rapid advancements in biotechnology and emerging technologies. FORSA, an analytical framework for risk and vulnerability analysis, was used to review how to prepare for and mitigate the possible effects of natural or intentional biohazards in agricultural production. Analyzing the effects of a biohazard event involves multiple scientific disciplines. A comprehensive analysis of biohazards therefore requires a systems approach. The preparedness and ability to manage events are strengthened by bolstered farm biosecurity, increased monitoring and laboratory capacity, improved inter-agency communication and resource allocation. The focus of this review is on Europe, but the insights gained have worldwide applications. The analytical framework used here is compared to other frameworks. With climate change, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, the supply chains are challenged, and we foresee increasing food prices associated with social tensions. Our food supply chain becomes more fragile with more unknowns, thereby increasing the needs for risk and vulnerability analyses, of which FORSA is one example.

Similarities between COVID-19 and plant viral diseases

This paper provides information on the many similarities between plant and human viruses concerning their detection, spread and control methods, such as in Tobacco mosaic virus and COVID-19.

From field to lab

The Crawford Fund has supported a long-running program providing plant pathology and entomology support for smallholder farmers and provincial and district staff in southern Lao PDR. The program has involved over 32 volunteers, mentors and students covering 55 cash crops involved in poverty alleviation. The program has focused on identifying the key pests and diseases while working directly with the farmers to develop appropriate management practices. We endeavour to empower government advisers to work with farmers to alleviate poverty, for example through the production of high value horticulture crops. Activities have included workshops, establishment of small diagnostic laboratories, and the development of pest and disease checklists and extension materials. Benefits also flow to Australia, with volunteers and mentors gaining exposure to pests and diseases not present in Australia, and the opportunity to build professional networks. This case study describes the 'field to lab' approach that has characterised this program and made it successful. Dr Anderson visited Savannakhet and Champasak provinces in February and March 2019 as a volunteer with the Australian Volunteer Program. She worked with local government advisers to visit smallholder farmers and survey the leaf diseases that affect bananas in southern Lao PDR. In-field training for identification of banana leaf diseases was undertaken. Samples were taken to the laboratory for preliminary identification, providing the opportunity for training in specific techniques for working with banana leaf pathogens. Samples were sent to colleagues in internationally recognised laboratories for formal identification, making use of specialised resources not present in Lao PDR. During COVID, ongoing support for the identification of pest and diseases and their management has been through the use of social media such as WhatsApp which link the network of past volunteers, mentors and Lao counterparts.

Resilience of Agri-Food Systems

In considering resilience of agri-food systems, we need to take a holistic perspective of many factors that can influence supply chains and their logistics: declining availability of arable land, water and healthy soils;pests and diseases of crop plants and livestock;unpredictability of weather and changing climate;growth in emerging economies;aging and increasingly urbanized populations;greater demand for convenience foods;consumer interest in provenance and ethical values in food production. To look to the future, we should consider how far agri-food systems have progressed in recent times. Since 1971 (a year chosen because of its personal significance of submitting my PhD thesis and celebrating my wedding) the world’s population has doubled from four to nearly eight billion, yet the global average daily energy and protein consumption per person have increased by about 20–25% [8], indicating a significant boost to food production. On farms, real-time sensing technologies are used for: monitoring weather, soil conditions and water availability;the growth and health of crops and livestock;outbreaks of pests, diseases and weeds;spoilage in grain storage;and to provide decision support and land-use mapping tools. Interest in alternative food sources and obtaining more dietary protein from alternative sources such as plants or insects is generating important research questions on “green” methods for processing of raw materials and developing flavoursome and nutritious products attractive to consumers, and how such systems can add value to the agri-food chain, given that a significant amount of food production currently comes from livestock grazing on marginal lands unsuited to cropping.

Routh–Hurwitz Stability and Quasiperiodic Attractors in a Fractional-Order Model for Awareness Programs: Applications to COVID-19 Pandemic

This work explores Routh–Hurwitz stability and complex dynamics in models for awareness programs to mitigate the spread of epidemics. Here, the investigated models are the integer-order model for awareness programs and their corresponding fractional form. A non-negative solution is shown to exist inside the globally attracting set (GAS) of the fractional model. It is also shown that the diseasefree steady state is locally asymptotically stable (LAS) given that R0 is less than one, where R0 is the basic reproduction number. However, as R0>1, an endemic steady state is created whose stability analysis is studied according to the extended fractional Routh–Hurwitz scheme, as the order lies in the interval (0,2]. Furthermore, the proposed awareness program models are numerically simulated based on the predictor-corrector algorithm and some clinical data of the COVID-19 pandemic in KSA. Besides, the model’s basic reproduction number in KSA is calculated using the selected data R0=1.977828168. In conclusion, the findings indicate the effectiveness of fractional-order calculus to simulate, predict, and control the spread of epidemiological diseases.

Understanding the history of infectious diseases

Plagues upon the Earth: disease and the course of human history, written by Kyle Harper, starts with the discovery of fire and ends with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is to say that it covers the whole of human history. “The global success of the black rat is the direct effect of our own species' takeover of planet earth”, writes Harper. Late in the book, there is a pleasing detour into plant diseases, among them the wonderfully named swollen shoot of cocoa, powdery mildew of grape, and frosty pod rot of cacao.

Evaluating the contribution of synthetic fungicides to cereal plant health and CO2 reduction targets against the backdrop of the increasingly complex regulatory environment in Europe. (Special Issue: On the topic of plant health in a one health context.)

The global COVID pandemic has impacted the world in ways and at a scale that few could have predicted, with many industries severely disrupted. Despite this, crops were sown and harvested, food was produced and agriculture continued to function, albeit it with many logistical challenges. Plant health lies at the heart of preventing crop losses through a combination of varietal resistance and agronomic practices. In the case of foliar plant diseases in wheat, varietal resistance plays a key role, but the use of synthetic fungicides is essential to minimize crop losses. European arable production faces a dilemma: how to contribute and maintain global food supplies but at the same time decrease emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), reduce inputs potentially harmful to biodiversity, society and the environment while ensuring no more land is brought into production. Throughout history, major disruptions in society have led to big steps in agricultural innovation. Presently, the major disruptive forces in Europe are not just a result of the COVID pandemic but the increasingly urgent need to address climate change. Within the European Green Deal, the Farm-to-Fork strategy is in place to help achieve climate neutrality by 2050, aiming for a reduction of GHG emissions of 55% by 2030. To achieve this, there will need to be a major adjustment to how food is produced, a realignment in plant health strategies and accelerated innovation across the agricultural sector. This paper aims to evaluate how synthetic fungicides presently contribute to plant health (mainly wheat) and food production as well as the management of GHG emissions. In addition, it explores the future challenges and prospects for their positive contribution in achieving global food security alongside emerging innovative technologies.

Proposal for a Crop Protection Information System for Rural Farmers in Tanzania

Crop protection information, such as how to control emergent and outbreak crop diseases and pests, as well as the latest research, regulations, and quality control measures for pesticides and fertilizers, is important to farmers. Rural smallholder farmers in Tanzania have traditionally relied on government agricultural officers who visit them in their villages to provide this crop protection information. However, these officers are few and cannot reach all the farmers on time. This means that farmers fail to make critical farming decisions on time, which can lead to low crop productivity. In this study, we aim to provide farmers with reliable and instant crop protection information by developing a system based on the Short Message Service (SMS) and the Web. This system automatically replies to farmers’ requests for the latest crop protection information in the Swahili language through SMS on a mobile phone or a Web system. The findings reveal that our proposed system can provide farmers with crop protection information at lower cost (500 times cheaper) than the existing Tigo Kilimo system. Furthermore, our proposed system’s deep learning model is effective in understanding and processing Swahili natural language SMS queries for crop protection information with an accuracy of 96.43%. This crop protection information will help farmers make better critical farming decisions on time and improve crop productivity.

Epidemics and the future of coffee production.

In this perspective, we draw on recent scientific research on the coffee leaf rust (CLR) epidemic that severely impacted several countries across Latin America and the Caribbean over the last decade, to explore how the socioeconomic impacts from COVID-19 could lead to the reemergence of another rust epidemic. We describe how past CLR outbreaks have been linked to reduced crop care and investment in coffee farms, as evidenced in the years following the 2008 global financial crisis. We discuss relationships between CLR incidence, farmer-scale agricultural practices, and economic signals transferred through global and local effects. We contextualize how current COVID-19 impacts on labor, unemployment, stay-at-home orders, and international border policies could affect farmer investments in coffee plants and in turn create conditions favorable for future shocks. We conclude by arguing that COVID-19's socioeconomic disruptions are likely to drive the coffee industry into another severe production crisis. While this argument illustrates the vulnerabilities that come from a globalized coffee system, it also highlights the necessity of ensuring the well-being of all. By increasing investments in coffee institutions and paying smallholders more, we can create a fairer and healthier system that is more resilient to future social-ecological shocks.

Homo sapiens: The Superspreader of Plant Viral Diseases.

Plant viruses are commonly vectored by flying or crawling animals, such as aphids and beetles, and cause serious losses in major agricultural and horticultural crops. Controlling virus spread is often achieved by minimizing a crop's exposure to the vector, or by reducing vector numbers with compounds such as insecticides. A major, but less obvious, factor not controlled by these measures is Homo sapiens. Here, we discuss the inconvenient truth of how humans have become superspreaders of plant viruses on both a local and a global scale.