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Area-wide management of methyl eugenol attracted fruit flies in mango: a systems approach
Get PDFFruit flies are one of the most serious horticultural pests globally, causing catastrophic damage to fruit and vegetable crops. Significant economic losses negatively affect the livelihoods of millions of large and small-scale farmers. Finding effective and sustainable ways to manage fruit fly infestation is a priority for many countries, and area-wide management is one of the most promising strategies.
Drawing on knowledge and experience gained from 3 major ACIAR-funded projects in Indonesia and the Philippines projects, this manual is a comprehensive and practical guide for the implementation of an area-wide management system (AWM system) to manage methyl eugenol-attracted flies in mango crops.
The manual presents key concepts, principles, steps and techniques, and it will help growers, extension officers, researchers and communities in tropical and subtropical regions to manage fruit fly infestation
Population genetic structure of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), in Australia: A pest with limited flight dispersal
No full textThe rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Curculionidae), is a globally distributed pest of stored grain, but despite having functional wings it is considered a reluctant flier. An analysis of the population genetics of S. oryzae from all major regions in Australia where grain is grown and stored in bulk revealed limited population structure nationally, despite our expectation that the low levels of flight in this species would impose considerable population structure geographically. Little genetic structure detected in nuclear DNA yet strong mitochondrial DNA structure was found among populations within the growing regions suggesting greater dispersal in males than females. Also, there were low levels of mitochondrial DNA diversity within and among Australian S. oryzae populations. Anthropogenic movement is most likely the reason for the observed lack of isolation-by-distance pattern of gene flow, especially in eastern Australia. The extent of gene flow demonstrated in our study has potential implications for the development and spread of phosphine resistance in Australia. Undoubtedly, selection for phosphine resistance in S. oryzae is occurring in all grain growing regions because of the widespread use of phosphine fumigation, but the level of gene flow demonstrated in Australian S. oryzae suggests that we can expect some spread of resistant insects geographically despite the apparent limited flight in this species
Digital twins for mitigation of orchard spray drift
No full textThe annual sale of agricultural pesticides in Australia doubled from 2010 to 11 to 2021-22. While an analysis found that 73% of Australian crop production in 2015-16 relied on herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, a large proportion of pesticide applications miss the right targets and become “spray drift”. For horticulture, according to previous studies, about 50 to 70% of the applied chemicals can either land directly on the ground or drift into the air. The off-target spray brings no gain to growers but instead is unnecessary waste, unnecessary pollution, and unnecessary risks in potentially damaging neighbouring farms. Many growers hope to maximise the use of their existing sprayers with minimal cost before considering retrofitting or replacing them. To facilitate this objective, a digital-twin-based solution has been developed to simulate orchard characteristics and spray processes that closely mirror reality. It enables high simulation fidelity and aims to serve as a decision-support tool for practical operations. This approach is powered by high performance computing to ensure both accuracy and complexity, without compromising one for the other. It had been field-tested in a tropical research orchard with a strong correlation to real-world measurement. A subsequent digital-twin-based investigation has demonstrated that the spray drift in the same orchard environment can be reduced by 36% through simple modifications of sprayer settings. Such outputs cannot only be used to optimise the adjustment of traditional equipment, but can also be loaded to robotic/automatic sprayers to make them more precise and responsive, yet simpler and cheaper. In addition to reviewing the pain points in reduction of spray drift, introducing the digital twin solution and reporting insights that have been gained from it, the research investigates potential development pathways for similar digital twins in a broader range of orchard and vineyard systems
Intensive professional vehicle-based shooting provides local control of invasive rusa deer in a peri-urban landscape
Get PDFNon-native deer are becoming increasingly common in peri-urban landscapes, where they pose a risk to the health and wellbeing of people. Professional vehicle-based shooting is commonly used to control deer populations in these complex landscapes, but the effectiveness and cost of this method have seldom been evaluated. We analyzed the effectiveness and cost of using professional vehicle-based shooting to reduce the abundance and impacts of non-native rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in a peri-urban landscape in Wollongong, eastern Australia, during 2011–2021. We incorporated the results from an independent monitoring program into a Bayesian joint-likelihood framework to model spatio-temporal changes in rusa deer abundance. Finally, we used our findings to assess the effect of the management program on the number of complaints from the residents. After eleven years and the removal of 4701 rusa deer from Wollongong LGA (712 km2), deer abundance did not change in 74.7% of the area, decreased in 19.4% of the area (mostly in and around the sites where the professional shooting occurred), and increased in 5.9% of the area. Shooting was most cost-effective during winter when the longer hours of darkness meant that shooters could visit more sites. In contrast to deer abundance, the probability of residents complaining about deer increased in space and time. Our study shows that professional vehicle-based shooting can locally reduce the abundance of invasive deer in a peri-urban landscape, providing that sufficient control effort is expended. We suggest that shooting effort is currently too thinly spread across this peri-urban landscape, and that concentrating shooting effort on the areas of greatest deer abundance and resident complaints might be a more cost-effective strategy for managing invasive deer in peri-urban landscapes
Torres Strait Finfish Fishery: Spanish mackerel stock assessment, with data to June 2023. Year Three Report.
Get PDFThe Torres Strait Spanish mackerel fishery commenced in 1941. The fishery for Spanish mackerel is by line fishing only and managed as a single stock. Spanish mackerel are important to the Torres Strait people and fishing culture. They are an economic and traditional food source.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority commissioned annual updates to the Torres Strait Spanish mackerel stock assessment for three years 2021–2023. This was to support quota management and to monitor spawning biomass estimates.
This stock assessment analysed data up to June 2023. The assessment was overseen by the Torres Strait Finfish Fishery Resource Assessment Group (TSFFRAG). Across analyses, the median estimated spawning biomass of Spanish mackerel in the 2022–2023 financial year (labelled the 2023 fishing year) was 41 percent of unfished estimates at the start of the fishery in 1941
Implications of spawning migration patterns of the giant mud crab Scylla serrata (Forskål, 1775) on opportunities for larval dispersal
No full textConnectivity is an essential driver for aquatic species distribution, genetic variability and stock structure. The giant mud crab (Scylla serrata) is a coastal portunid commonly associated with estuaries and mangrove systems. This species has been observed to undertake a seaward spawning migration, as the larval development is known to be more successful under the stable environmental conditions typically found in marine waters. The larvae return to the coastal areas through advection, where they are recruited and enter the estuaries after metamorphosing into the first instar. Here, we used numerical modelling to test hypotheses regarding probabilities of larval settlement of the giant mud crab and the effect of the distance offshore from which females release the eggs. Our scenarios considered the biological characteristics of larvae and oceanographic conditions for six locations for mud crabs along a complex coastline - the Queensland east coast, Australia. The models suggest that all locations tend to self-supply, and to exchange mud crab larvae with other regions, but in different magnitudes. The spawning distance offshore considerably affects larval distribution and settlement. The main drivers for larval advection in areas within the continental shelf are wind patterns and coastal currents, while offshore along the Australian continental slope, the main drivers are ocean currents. Self-recruitment is predominant, although we also observed a significant degree of connectivity between each location and the surrounding coastline. Short spawning migrations benefit self-recruitment in all scenarios, but long offshore migrations favour connectivity among different locations. This source/sink balance seems to depend on the local oceanographic features. Nevertheless, offshore spawning by the giant mud crab has the potential to provide for successful recruitment in a variety of environmental contexts. This study provides novel predictions of the probabilities of larval settlement for mud crab populations considering ocean advection that can be applied to different contexts
Harvesting, packing, postharvest technology, transport and processing
No full textThis chapter reviews postharvest technology and practices (including processing) for avocado fruit. The effect of production practices on postharvest performance is also discussed
Complete telomere‐to‐telomere assemblies of two sorghum genomes to guide biological discovery
No full textCultivated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a C4crop well‐known for its high efficiency of biomass accumulation and adaptation to drought and hot environments. It is a staple food for half a billion people in Africa and Asia and provides a major source of feed, fiber, and biofuel globally. The release of the first sorghum reference genome of BTx623 greatly accelerated functional genomics studies in sorghum and related C4grasses [1]. Subsequent improvement has further enhanced the quality of the reference genome [2]. Assemblies of other sorghum genomes such as Tx430, Rio, and wild sorghum accessions have shown marked intra-specific sequence variation in this crop [3, 4]. However, all of the available sorghum genomes are still incomplete, in particular with unresolved centromeres and telomeres, constraining a full understanding of the genomic landscape in the sorghum gene pool
Advancements in Integrated Pest Management strategies for Bactrocera dorsalisin Asia: current status, insights, and future prospects
No full textOriental fruit fly,Bactrocera dorsalis(Diptera: Tephritidae), is an infamous invasive pest species with a broad host range. The pest has spread to most territories worldwide in the last decades, posing an increasing threat to global fruit and vegetable production. Here, we reviewed the current knowledge, control methods and prospects of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies againstB. dorsalisbased on a survey on the pest status, damages and current practices conducted in the Asia region. The outcome of the survey pointed toB. dorsalisas a major concern as it causes heavy damage in most of the participating countries. Current IPM strategies involve multiple control tactics, but often with over reliance on chemical pesticides. Behaviour-based monitoring and control measures are commonly employed in this region because of ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness, which serve as the key component of the IPM strategies. The sterile insect technique application, though environmental-friendly, sustainable and compatible with IPM, is limited because of high operational cost, ineffective government policy and low social acceptance. Public knowledge and technology transfer, training and hands-on guidance, relevant stakeholder community participation, acceptance and cooperation, are the key levers for sustainable and successful IPM againstB. dorsalis. More initiatives and research efforts for developing non-chemical control tactics and biopesticides will optimize the existing IPM strategies. Lastly, effective quarantine and phytosanitary measures towards better border biosecurity should be taken to intercept and curtail the risk ofB. dorsalisexpanding its current geographical boundary in the face of global climate chang
Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression used to select important features when predicting wheat yield from various genotype groups
No full textBread wheat and durum wheat genotypes were grown in field experiments at two locations in New South Wales, Australia across several years and using two sowing times (‘early’ v. ‘late’). Genotypes were grouped based on genetic similarity. Grain yield, grain size, soil characteristics and daily weather data were collected. The weather data were used to calculate water and heat stress indices for four key growth periods around flowering. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to predict grain yield and to identify the most influential features (a combination of index and growth period). A novel approach involving the crop water supply–demand ratio effectively summarized water relations during growth. LASSO predicted grain yield quite well (adjusted R2 from 0.57 to 0.98), especially in a set of durum genotypes. However, the addition of other important variables such as lodging score, disease incidence, weed incidence and insect damage could have improved modelling results. Growth period 2 (30 days pre-flowering up to flowering) was the most sensitive for yield loss from heat stress and water stress for most features. Although one group of bread wheat genotypes was more sensitive to water stress (drought) in period 3 (20 days pre-flowering to 10 days post-flowering). Evapotranspiration was a significant positive feature but only in the vegetative phase (pre-flowering, period 1). This study confirms the usefulness of LASSO modelling as a technique to make predictions that could be used to identify genotypes that are suitable candidates for further investigation by breeders for their stress-tolerance ability