A preliminary study on the status of invasive palm squirrels in Oman

ABSTRACT

Palm squirrels of the genus Funambulus are reported as invasive in the Sultanate of Oman for the first time. These squirrels have been recorded in seven locations in northern Oman contributing to a total of 11 records. Seven records were of the Five-striped northern palm squirrel, Funambulus pennantii (Wroughton, 1905) and species identification was indeterminate for four records. Funambulus pennantii was supposed to be the only species in United Arab Emirates (UAE), but here evidence is shown for the presence of the Three-striped Indian palm squirrel, Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1776) in Ras Al Khaimah. So, there is a possibility that this species may also occur in Oman. These palm squirrels are feeding on the fruits of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. and the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera (L.) Mill. There is an indication that these species could become pests on date palms. Their abundance is low at present in Oman, but they are well established in the adjacent UAE from where sustained invasion is possible. They are also available through pet shops in Oman. The invasion of Oman by the palm squirrels is in its infancy and strategies should be formulated to eradicate/control them as a matter of priority.     

An overview of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the detection of insect pests in stored grains

Applications of near-infrared spectroscopy for measuring various aspects of grain quality have expanded rapidly in recent years. One application that could be of particular use to growers and industry is the detection of insect pests across a range of stored grains. This prospect was first reported over 20 years ago, but the accuracy of this technique does not currently meet FDA standards for the quantification of insect fragments in bulk wheat and flour samples. When considering bulk samples, near-infrared spectroscopy may be suitable for identifying the presence of infestation in samples, followed by flotation testing to provide an accurate quantitative value. Much higher accuracy has been found for the detection of pest species at the single-kernel level. With faster spectrophotometers and kernel sorting systems, single-kernel analysis is likely to be utilised more in the future and could even render bulk analysis of samples redundant. This technology could allow for the detection and identification of pest species in every single kernel of a representative grain sample. The development and application of more sensitive spectrophotometers, such as FT-NIR (Fourier transform near infrared) and more powerful chemometric data analysis techniques are also likely to provide significant improvements, through allowing the minute chemical differences present in bulk infested grains to be accurately detected and quantified.     

美藤果品质及其影响因素分析

美藤果作为一种高营养价值的新型油料，具有重要的开发价值。检测了中国西双版纳、普洱、红河及老挝102份美藤果的品质指标，并考察了产地、病虫害与施肥对美藤果品质的影响。结果表明：美藤果平均含油量为37.4%，平均蛋白质含量为22.1%，油中不饱和脂肪酸含量高达92.17%，其中亚麻酸占45.34%。产地对美藤果品质具有显著影响，而施肥、病虫害对美藤果品质影响较小。不同产地美藤果的蛋白质、硬脂酸、亚麻酸含量具有显著差异，其中西双版纳样品的蛋白质含量显著高于普洱的，中国西双版纳、红河与老挝样品的硬脂酸含量均显著高于中国普洱的，而中国普洱样品的亚麻酸含量显著高于老挝和中国红河的。此外，施肥有利于提高美藤果的含油量。     

基于多生长时期模板匹配的玉米螟识别方法

玉米螟是玉米种植中的主要虫害之一。为了解决人工识别的劳动强度大,且识别不够准确、及时的问题,文中提出了一种在自然场景下基于多生长时期模板匹配的不同生长时期亚洲玉米螟的识别方法。该方法首先对获取到的图像进行数学形态学预处理;其次利用直方图反向映射法和多模板图像得到总的概率图像;然后利用约束空间的大津法对二值图像进行轮廓提取,并根据周长和面积特征进行初步筛选;最后结合基准轮廓,利用Hu矩等特征选出符合亚洲玉米螟特征的轮廓,进而得出识别结果并以三角形标记。实验和理论分析证明,在复杂自然场景图像中,该方法不仅时效性强,而且具有很好的识别准确度,能够有效降低不同生长时期的玉米螟颜色变化带来的影响。     

中国蔬菜害虫的发生与防治技术

本文对我国蔬菜害虫种类、分布、为害等梗概情况作了简要叙述，并就我国目前应用农业措施、害虫趋性、有益生物、非化学合成杀虫剂和新型化学农药防治害虫技术进行较全面介绍，还指出了当前蔬菜害虫防治中有关问题。     

基于Matlab的优化BP神经网络在水稻虫害预测预报中的应用

本文主要利用神经网络理论,基于Matlab的神经网络建立水稻虫害发生量预报预测的BP神经网络预测系统,确定了自然因素与发生量之间的联系,并通过对江西省抚州市田间水稻虫害情况的预测来检验模型的效果。实验结果证明了该模型用于虫害预测的可行性,具有很好的应用价值。     

They’re Back

Problem, research strategy, and findings: There has been a dramatic resurgence of bed bug infestations in the United States since the early 2000s. Bed bugs pose significant public health and economic concerns, but cities have been hampered in their response by the ambiguity of current public health and housing regulations toward bed bugs. In this study, I analyze municipal ordinances for more than 8,000 local governments, describe the responses of cities to the bed bug crisis, and examine the different approaches that cities have taken and the political–ecological processes underpinning these varying approaches. Few municipalities have addressed bed bugs in their codes. Most cities that have addressed bed bugs have sought to clarify that bed bugs are to be treated like other pests but, rather than crafting policies specific to bed bugs, have relied on existing code enforcement procedures. Only a handful of U.S. cities have taken a comprehensive approach to addressing the bed bug epidemic. Interests representing apartment owners have pushed back strongly against municipal and state action, complicating the response. It is still too early, and monitoring data are insufficient, to conclusively evaluate the success of municipal ordinances, but I describe potentially successful approaches based on considerations of public health response to infectious disease.

Takeaway for practice: Because human dwellings are the habitat of bed bugs, infestations are intimately tied to issues of housing affordability, insecurity and quality, eviction, and mobility. Cities should consider passing ordinances that specifically recognize bed bugs in the sections of their code that address public health, property maintenance, and landlord–tenant rights and responsibilities. Ordinances should be tailored to the specific challenges in addressing bed bug infestations and should include provisions for tenant protection, enforcement, and monitoring.     

贵州蔗区主要病虫害初步调查及防治对策

本文通过对贵州蔗区主要病虫害发生情况的初步调查,查清贵州蔗区病虫害的主要种类及分布情况,并针对贵州蔗区病虫害防治中存在的问题,对主要病虫害及其发生为害特点提出了相应的防治对策。     

试论我国城市害虫的管理策略

对我国城市害虫的管理和主要策略进行了回顾，探讨了我国城市害虫管理面临的问题和改进措施。     

Antennal olfactory responses to individual cereal volatiles in Theocolax elegans (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

Theocolax elegans (Westwood) is a pteromalid wasp that parasitizes immature stages of stored-grain insect pests. In a previous study, uninfested wheat kernels and their hexane extracts were shown to be attractive to the adult wasps. To contribute to the understanding of the olfactory basis of the host-habitat recognition, the electroantennographic (EAG) responses of both sexes of T. elegans to a range of volatile compounds previously identified from grains of various cereals were recorded. All compounds tested elicited measurable EAG responses. The largest EAG amplitudes were evoked by 2-octanone, 1-hexanol, 2-heptanone, (E)-2-nonenal, decanal, (E)-2-hexenal, propionic acid, (E)-2-octenal and hexanoic acid in males, and by propionic acid, 2-hexanone, (E)-2-heptenal, 2-heptanone, hexanal, (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, butanal, hexanoic acid and octanal in females. Aromatic compounds were the weaker antennal stimulants in both sexes. Sexual differences in the EAG amplitude to some compounds were found, with males being significantly more responsive to 13 of the 34 compounds tested. Comparison of EAG responses to various chemicals indicated a strong antennal capability to differentiate in respect to structure (aliphatics and aromatics), carbon chain length, functional group (acid, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone) and absence/presence of double bonds (saturated, mono- and di-unsaturated compounds). Possible roles of cereal volatiles in host-habitat location of T. elegans are discussed in relation to the possible future implementation of T. elegans-based biological control strategies.