(Press-News.org) Certain micro-organisms can constitute the active matter to develop bioinsecticides used for pest control. In this case, the researcher used a virus of the baculovirus family, which specifically infect invertebrates and naturally regulate the population of insects of this type on the ground. "We selected a virus that displayed the best insecticidal characteristics," she explained. "Using this virus we developed a large-scale production system by means of which we could treat a surface area equivalent to that of a football pitch using just two larvae."
When a larva infected by the virus dies, it constitutes a fresh source of infection because it contaminates the area where the crops are growing. So other larvae that feed in this area may be infected and die in the same way. To verify the effectiveness of the bioinsecticide, the results were compared with those of the chemical and biological insecticides routinely used on banana plantations on the Canary Islands. "We saw that our product is between 3 and 4 times more effective. We applied for a patent and established the bases to develop a new bioinsecticide, which is also a very useful tool for sustainable agriculture."
In this respect, controlling the pest using the usual treatments, like chemical insecticides, can lead to environmental hazards and leave residues on the surface of the crops, which hampers the marketing of them. "Baculoviruses have generated an interest in the control of insect pests, because of their insecticidal capacity and because of their specificity and safety of use," pointed out Alexandra Bernal, "so some have already been registered as insecticides in several parts of the world."
INFORMATION:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24096419 END
The basis of a new bioinsecticide is developed to control a pest of banana plantations
2014-03-18
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Nanotube composites increase the efficiency of next generation of solar cells
2014-03-18
Carbon nanotubes are becoming increasingly attractive for photovoltaic solar cells as a replacement to silicon. Researchers at Umeå University in Sweden have discovered that controlled placement of the carbon nanotubes into nano-structures produces a huge boost in electronic performance. Their groundbreaking results are published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials.
Carbon nanotubes, CNTs, are one dimensional nanoscale cylinders made of carbon atoms that possess very unique properties. For example, they have very high tensile strength and exceptional electron ...
Cardiologists define new heart failure symptom: Shortness of breath while bending over
2014-03-18
DALLAS – March 18, 2014 – UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists have defined a novel heart failure symptom in advanced heart failure patients: shortness of breath while bending over, such as when putting on shoes.
The condition, which UT Southwestern cardiologists named "bendopnea" (pronounced "bend-op-nee-ah"), is an easily detectable symptom that can help doctors diagnose excessive fluid retention in patients with heart failure, according to the findings published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure.
"Some ...
Antimony nanocrystals for batteries
2014-03-18
This news release is available in German.
The hunt is on – for new materials to be used in the next generation of batteries that may one day replace current lithium ion batteries. Today, the latter are commonplace and provide a reliable power source for smartphones, laptops and many other portable electrical devices.
On the one hand, however, electric mobility and stationary electricity storage demand a greater number of more powerful batteries; and the high demand for lithium may eventually lead to a shortage of the raw material. This is why conceptually identical ...
Study of complete RNA collection of fruit fly uncovers unprecedented complexity
2014-03-18
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists from Indiana University are part of a consortium that has described the transcriptome of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster in unprecedented detail, identifying thousands of new genes, transcripts and proteins.
In the new work, published Sunday in the journal Nature, scientists studied the transcriptome -- the complete collection of RNAs produced by a genome -- at different stages of development, in diverse tissues, in cells growing in culture, and in flies stressed by environmental contaminants. To do so, they used contemporary sequencing ...
Ultrasound can identify pregnant women at risk for respiratory failure, study says
2014-03-18
An ultrasound of the lungs could help doctors quickly determine if a pregnant woman with preeclampsia is at risk for respiratory failure, suggests preliminary research published in the April issue of Anesthesiology.
About 60,000 women worldwide die as a result of preeclampsia, which causes severely high blood pressure. Potential complications include stroke, bleeding and excess fluid in the lungs – called pulmonary edema – which can lead to respiratory failure. The study suggests a lung ultrasound can help doctors easily learn whether a woman with preeclampsia is suffering ...
Cardiac arrest in pregnant women more common than you'd think
2014-03-18
Although cardiac arrest during childbirth is rare, it may be two times more common than previously reported in the literature, suggests the first large U.S. study on the potentially deadly condition published in the April issue of Anesthesiology. The study, based on data for more than 56 million births, also found that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was often successful, and that the survival rate improved between 1998 and 2011.
Maternal cardiac arrest means that the mother's heart stops beating, either before or after childbirth. More than one in 12,000 American ...
Why international sanctions do not always work
2014-03-18
Germany, Austria and Cuba have at least one thing in common: they have all experienced what it means to be 'left out in the cold' and be considered 'bad company' by Western powers. However, just as Iran and South Africa, these three countries have handled this form of stigmatization very differently. According to new research, the reason for this is that diplomatic pressure and sanctions by the international community (the 'shaming method' ) fail to have the intended effect because isolation and shaming may boost national pride and sense of cohesion and thus support the ...
Many low-income women don't want to leave hospital after false-labor diagnosis
2014-03-18
More than 40 percent of pregnant low-income women discharged from the hospital after a diagnosis of false or early labor did not want to be sent home, with the most common reasons being that they were in too much pain or lived too far away, according to a study by Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) and Parkland Health & Hospital System.
Many of the women dissatisfied with being sent home stated that receiving specific written instructions about when to return to the hospital may have made them happier about going home. However, there was evidence ...
Indochina agricultural fires still ongoing
2014-03-18
Agricultural fires continue to burn in the Indochina region as evidenced by this Aqua image taken on March 18, 2014. This natural-color image was taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS, aboard the Aqua satellite. More fires have been set in both Burma and Laos since the last image taken by MODIS on March 07. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. Fire is used in cropland areas for pest and weed control and to prepare fields for planting. Crop residue burning helps farmers as it is a cheap and effective ...
Scientists open a new window into quantum physics with superconductivity in LEDs
2014-03-18
A team of University of Toronto physicists led by Alex Hayat has proposed a novel and efficient way to leverage the strange quantum physics phenomenon known as entanglement. The approach would involve combining light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a superconductor to generate entangled photons and could open up a rich spectrum of new physics as well as devices for quantum technologies, including quantum computers and quantum communication.
Entanglement occurs when particles become correlated in pairs to predictably interact with each other regardless of how far apart they ...