news in brief
Any beer will do as slugs reject Cava
A nationwide experiment carried out in the UK has revealed that the old myth of slugs being attracted to beer is in fact true, with lager and bitter proving to be the most effective drinks for successfully trapping those pesky garden pests. Up and down the country members of horticultural charity, Garden Organic, have been […]
2nd International Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Tencent, will organise the 2nd International Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge in which multidisciplinary teams from around the world will use artificial intelligence to remotely produce vegetables. The goal is to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can produce greenhouse grown vegetables more efficiently and effectively. In the future more greenhouses will […]
Bee-saving vote delayed two years
On the eve of a Europe-wide day of action calling for the European Commission to protect bees from harmful pesticides, the Commission announced it will delay the implementation of new pesticide testing standards by a full two years and may revise them. SumOfUs, a movement of consumers setup to hold corporations accountable for their actions, […]
California state glyphosate trial
Bayer is disappointed with the jury’s decision in favour of Mr. and Mrs Pilliod, the plaintiffs, in the Californian Courts and it has announced that it will appeal the verdict, which Bayer claims conflicts directly with; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s interim registration review decision released just last month; the consensus among leading health regulators […]
Not all weeds are equal
Wildlife friendly refuges around the edges of farmers’ crops have been credited with slowing biodiversity declines, however, new research shows their success ultimately depends on what’s growing next to the field. Recent reported increases in some crop pollinating insects suggested the upturn was due to more UK farms creating these pesticide-free areas. However, this new […]
New sub-Saharan infectious disease surveillance program
The African Small Companion Animal Network (AFSCAN), a project of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA) charitable foundation, has launched a significant new sub-Saharan infectious disease surveillance program. With Bayer Animal Health as the major sponsor, the program will provide novel data on the prevalence and distribution of ectoparasites and arthropod-borne infectious diseases of […]
Striped bodypainting protects against horseflies
A study by researchers from Sweden and Hungary has shown that white, painted stripes on the body protect skin from insect bites. Among indigenous peoples who wear body-paint, the markings thus provide a certain protection against insect-borne diseases. Most indigenous communities who paint their bodies live in areas where there is an abundance of bloodsucking […]
Hyperspectral drones the main attraction
Drones Synergies 2018, a global conference combined with capacity building workshops took place in November 2018 at the Zayed University in Dubai. The aim of the two-day event was to see application of latest drone technologies in different fields, particularly in precision agriculture, food security, environmental and natural resource management. The event, which was attended […]
