The soil samples were obtained from two case study sites in Spain, 1 case study site in Portugal, and 1 case study site in the Netherlands; which covered four of the main European crops: horticultural products and oranges (in Spain), grapes (in Portugal), and potato production (in the Netherlands). Chemical analyses revealed that the total content of pesticides in conventional soils was between 70% and 90% higher than in organic soils, although the latter soils did also contain pesticide residues.
Although in 70% of conventional soils mixtures of up to 16 residues were detected per sample, only a maximum of five different residues were found in the organic soils. the residues most frequently found and in the greatest quantities were the herbicides Glyphosate and Pendimethalin. The samples were collected between 2015-2018, as no major changes occurred in terms of management, there are indicative of current situation, and likely of other Eu agricultural areas.
Certain chemicals can activate the innate defense mechanisms of plants, and researchers at the Tokyo University of Science are working on ways to use such chemicals as alternatives to harmful agricultural pesticides. These researchers have found that a compound derived from menthol can boost the expression of defense-related genes in soybeans, corn, peas, and other crop species. This finding may pave the way to green agricultural technologies that shield crops from pests while minimizing damage to the environment.
The extent to which the composition of the microbiome of apples and oil pumpkins depends on the geographical location and what insights can be derived from this for breeding, health and shelf life of the fruits is shown in two recent publications by researchers at TU Graz.
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IMAGE: The harmfulness of pesticides to beneficial organisms is one of the most serious concerns in agriculture. Therefore scientists are eagerly looking for new, more environmentally friendly and species-specific solutions. Researchers. view more
Credit: Estonian University of Life Sciences
The detrimental impact of pesticides on non-target organisms is one of the most urgent concerns in current agriculture. Double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) represent the most species-specific class of pesticides to date, potentially allowing control of a target pest without effecting other species. The unprecedented target-specificity of dsRNA is due to its nucleotide sequence-specific mode of action that results in post-transcriptional gene silencing, or RNA interference (RNAi), in the target species. The development and field use of dsRNAs, via both the insertion of transgenes into the plant genome and the application of dsRNA sprays, is a rapidly growing area of research. Simu
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IMAGE: The Marine Biological Laboratory s Swope Center, which includes campus dining halls. A new study by MBL Ecosystems Center scientists examines ways to reduce the nitrogen footprint of smaller institutions,. view more
Credit: Marine Biological Laboratory
WOODS HOLE, Mass. Nitrogen is an element basic for life plants need it, animals need it, it s in our DNA but when there s too much nitrogen in the environment, things can go haywire. On Cape Cod, excess nitrogen in estuaries and salt marshes can lead to algal blooms, fish kills, and degradation of the environment.
In a study published in