The MGS Forum
Miscellaneous => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: David Bracey on July 04, 2011, 09:33:53 AM
-
The MGS Science Committee generally publishes their Newsletter in October of each year. This year we are asking members to send us their contributions via the Forum. We would be pleased to receive any technical or scientific paper or publication which is relevant to the mediterranean gardener. It can include information on botany, plant physiology, new species, plant husbandry, soil conservation, pest and disease control, water conservation, fire control, etc etc. The only thing we ask is that all articles are referenced so that we can quote them correctly.
To save time you can simply send the reference. The inclusion of these articles in the Newsletter will rest with the Science Committee.
-
I don't know if this is of interest here, but for some unknown reasons I regularly receive newsletters from Koeltz Scientific Books. Their website http://www.koeltz.com/ shows an extensive list of botanical publications, old and new, including some very rare ones.
-
Thanks for that, Jorun. I will eventually pull all the various mentions of useful websites (not plant suppliers) into a single topic, in the Miscellaneous section.
-
Dear Jorun thanks for the information. I will definitely add it to the Newsletter.
It was only by chance that I looked at my posting this morning. Science and the mediterranean gardener do not go to-gether unfortunately and we will be ending our activities at the end of this year.
I have just finished browsing "Science and the Garden". This an easy and excellent reference book full of interesting details about soils, the function of the xylem, phloem and stomata, influence of day length
and so forth. There is even a piece about genetic modification of garden plants. Heaven forbid.
The authors rely heavily on agricultural comparisons, however this is often not relevant to the gardener, especially the mediterranean gardener. Also they like to suggest "successful strategies " for weed and pest control, soil management etc but leave it up to you to devise. Not easy as we all know.
Thanks again David
-
Hello David,
I beg to differ on one or two points in your last posting. I too am very disappointed with the response to the Science Ctte. and I very sorry to learn that you feel the time has come to end it's activities. I feel that we gardeners have a lot to learn from botanists (surely botany is a science ?) taxonomists (ditto) and all that wonderful gang of plant kingdom professionals such as nurserymen etc.
Is it too late to ask for a part of this forum to be dedicated to 'Science and the mediterranean gardener' and see how much interest there is ?
erm, I maybe displaying my deep ignorance here but .... surely 'genetic modification' of garden and other plants is a continuing and natural process - I seem to vaguely remember something called 'natural selection' and 'evolution' ........ is it the false creation of untested cultivars and varieties for specific purposes which can be harmful ?? Happy to be slapped down if necessary !!
thanks, Rosie
PS can I recommend the online herbarium of the Linnean Society of London as a wonderful resource http://www.linnean.org
-
Dear Rosie thanks for the note. The SC has been active for 5 years during which time we have tried to garner interest in science and the med gardener. The initial response was encouraging and members volunteered to be on the look-out for suitable articles which we could publish. The SC completed a number of trials which we thought relevant and which we thought members would find interesting. I think we had one, maybe two requests, for one or other of the final reports.
The interest at the top has been marginal at best with little recognition of the effort we have made. Indeed the excellent book "Science and the Garden" reviewed in TMG devoted only one paragraph to the critique.
One of the aims of the SC was to try to present evidence based data since gardening is full of anecdotal information and what uncle Joe used to do. Your comment below "is the creation of untested cultivars and varieties for specific purposes which can be harmful"", is a case in point. What evidence can you present that these untested cultivars are harmful? Again it is anecdotal, I suspect. By all means let`s have a discussion on GM and let`s use the Forum. I`m sure Alisdair will be very happy.
Your turn.
Kind regards David
-
Excellent to talk about science and the mediterranean gardener on this forum - either continuing in this thread (which perhaps might be better moved to the Miscellaneous section), or when appropriate in other individual sections (eg the obvious place for a scientific view of using pathogenic fungi to control insect pests would be the Pests and Diseases section). I think that's better than putting science into some sort of quite separate ghetto.
-
The UK's Food & Environment Research Agency is leading a five-year €3 million EC project aimed at breeding new drought-resistant pea crops. The project, called ABSTRESS, is researching the influence of particular genes on the relationship between drought stress and Fusarium infection, in the Mediterranean legume Medicago truncatula (widely used in genomic research). The idea is to identify the relevant "drought resistance" gene networks so that they can be incorporated in elite pea varieties, thus reducing their water requirements - by genetic modification where that is allowed, or by conventional breeding where it isn't.
For further information click here (http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/agriculture/projects/abstress_en.htm).
-
I think it's more than important to combine science and gardening, as the information available is in fact often very inaccurate or wrong. I myself have nothing to do with science through my profession, so cannot be helpful. What I read recently was, that in Lausanne University they could prove, that bees die from a commonly used pesticide group called nicotinoides. You surely know this already.
-
Ritamax, please could you send me the reference; I cannot find it.
The nicotinoides are a very successful group of insecticides. They are extremely systemic which allows them to be used as seed dressings on various crops including sugarbeet, cotton, oil seedrape etc . This method of application reduces their enviromental impact on non-target species for example.
However they have been linked for many years to the death of bee populations. This has never satisfactorily, to my knowledge, been proven, however their is circumstantial evidence. Much research work and research grants have been devoted to proving this group to be responsible for bee deaths.
At the moment I would say that the jury still out but the finger points to a bee decline virus, a microscopic mite which predates the bee and these insecticides causing population decline. There is some evidence that bees feeding on flower nectar and pollen which contains the insecticide due to its systemicity leads to build up of toxic levels in the hive especially as it seems to be persistent.
I believe that bee colony decline also occurs in countries and regions where nicotinoides are not used.
I am seeking further infomation. david
-
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10921493-neonicotinoid-pesticides-tied-to-crashing-bee-populations-2-studies-find
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/new-pesticides-linked-to-bee-population-collapse-7601198.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder
http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2011/01/26/study-pesticides-are-killing-honeybee-population-worldwide/
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger-not-f/blog/39926/
Sorry, David, that's all I found, some links to different studies, but not the Lausanne one. What I had read earlier (an article in German) was telling about a 1-year study in Lausanne University Botanical Garden on neonicotinoides and bees, that they had found out a connection with neonicotinoides and bees dying. There is a new petition in Switzerland based on this study, which demands a law to forbid those pesticides. Regards, Rita
-
David,
I saw these references and think they might be relevant to bee problems caused by the insecticide
In Science Magazine
Report A Common Pesticide Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees
Science 20 April 2012: 348-350.Published online 29 March 2012
Report Neonicotinoid Pesticide Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth and Queen Production
Science 20 April 2012: 351-352.Published online 29 March 2012
-
Actually, the product involved is the wonder insecticide imidacloprid (Confidor). It will be interesting to see what mercenaries working for the big companies will have to say now. It has left us all speechless as the company's ads (once more) made us believe the product was not such a powerful biocide. And the source reported was mainly the corn syrup fed to bees as supplementary fodder during the winter months. The second source of bee poisoning was poisoned nectar.
-
Jill thanks for the references . I have read the abstracts. The reports refer to Bumble bees in one case and to honey bees in another. Both are laboratory experiments however it does appear that there may be a link to the decline in bee numbers.. Time will tell.
Ezeiza there is more than one insecticide involved. "Gaucho" is the brand name for the seed dressing based on imidacloprid while "Confidor" is the foliar spray based on the same active ingredient.
I`m not sure what you call a "powerful biocide". Imidacloprid is systemic and traces are found in the nectar and pollen. These are the food sources for many insects including " bees". Using emotive words like poisoned nectar does not help solve the problem. Let`s try to be rational. David
-
The reputable magazine " The Economist" has reviewed the two papers published in Science and has summarized the the situation as follows.
"Many researchers believe the label " colony collapse disorder" CCD, covers a multitude of problems………but neonictinoides ………could be a common factor in weakening the (bee) colony without actually actually pushing it over the edge. The killer blow would then be administered by something else: a mite infestation, or fungal infection or what ever else happened to turn up that a healthy hive would have shrugged off.
France, Germany and Slovenia have already restricted the use of neonicotenoids….it would help if realistic trials were conducted in the future , in conditions which mimic nature as closely as possible. But the growing evidence that insecticides damage bees in subtle ways means it would be money well spent."
-
A report published recently in "The Plant Cell" reported work with blood oranges. These contain a red pigment known as anthocyanins, which also occur in plants, and which are believed to have health properties which include combating obesity and reducing heart disease. Scientists have identified the "ruby" gene responsible for the blood orange red.
The report goes on to say that blood oranges can only be reliably grown on the foothills of Mount Etna in Italy since they require a cold period. As a result blood orange juice is scarce and expensive.
Scientists believe that through simple genetic modification blood oranges could be grown in more reliable climates such as Florida and Brasil bringing improved health properties to orange juice.
A test batch of genetically created blood oranges is currently being grown in Valencia, Spain.
’
-
It will be interesting to see how many mediterranean growers of blood oranges agree with the idea that the foothills of Mount Etna are the only place for them to colour reliably!
Our own very small experience - just one tree - is that the juice does colour splendidly and pretty reliably. We are just a few minutes' walk from the coast in the extreme south of Greece, so we normally don't get real cold; typically the coldest winter night is not below plus 4C. (But it's true that our fruit does not start colouring until the very mildest weather has passed, so as the fruit is ripe in January there is the risk that a very mild early winter can delay colouring.)
-
This year I have planted a grapefruit 'Rio Red'.
...Which obviously makes me wonder about similarities with blood oranges.
It is at 99m altitude, so won't get the Etna-style winter chilling. I will keep my fingers crossed that it will fruit as expected.
There's an interesting bit on red grapefruit here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit#Ruby_Red_grapefruit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit#Ruby_Red_grapefruit).
-
This was reported yesterday. Let`s hope its the answer to bee decline`:
""Highly contagious honey bee virus transmitted by mites
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have discovered a parasitic mite has caused the Deformed Wing Virus to proliferate in honey bee colonies.
This association is now thought to contribute to the world-wide spread and probable death of millions of honey bee colonies. The current monetary value of honey bees as commercial pollinators in the United States alone is estimated at about $15-$20 billion annually.
The research conducted in Hawaii by researchers from the University of Sheffield, the Marine Biological Association, the Food and Environment Research Agency and the University of Hawaii, and reported in the journal Science, showed how the Varroa mite caused Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) – a known viral pathogen – to increase its frequency among honey bee colonies from 10 per cent to 100 per cent.
This change was accompanied by a million-fold increase in the number of virus particles infecting each honey bee and a massive reduction in viral strain diversity leading to the emergence of a single virulent DWV strain.
Dr Stephen Martin, of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences
said: “Just 2,000 mites can cause a colony containing 30,000 bees to die. The mite is the biggest problem worldwide for bee keepers; it’s responsible for millions of colonies being killed.
“Understanding the changing viral landscape that honey bees and other pollinators face will help beekeepers and conservationists worldwide protect these important insects. We have discovered what happens at the start of an infection. The goal is to understand how the infection comes about so that we can control it.
“Deformed Wing Virus is naturally transmitted in bees through feeding or sex but the mites change the disease so it becomes more deadly, shortening the bees’ lives."
As the mite and new virulent strain of the virus becomes established across the Hawaiian Islands the new emerging viral landscape will mirror that found across the rest of the world where the Varroa mite is now established.
This ability of a mite to permanently alter the honey bee viral landscape may by a key factor in the recent colony collapse disorder (CCD) and over-wintering colony losses (OCL) as the virulent pathogen strain remains even after the mites are removed.
The University of Sheffield invested £4 million in an environment research facility which has been purpose built for honey bee research and aligns to the central idea of Project Sunshine − to harness the power of the sun to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today.
-
We are new to Beekeeping and last winter lost all our bees as did an experienced neighbour who has been helping us. I have been following your postings David with great interest and passing on info to our neighbour. Thanks very much. :)
-
SOIL CRUSTS
A note published in the MGS Science Newsletter, 2011 described the value of mulches in fynbos soils (these occur in the Cape region of South Africa) and explained that some mulches encouraged the build-up of damping-off diseases leading to plant failure. Unmulched soils appeared not to have these problems.
MGS member G. Klein has now sent new research by Mandy Williams of the American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science which describes the complex blend of microorganisms carpeting arid environments as biological soil crusts (BSC). These organisms fuse with soil particles, stabilizing desert crusts and forming fragile peaks in the soil that influence a variety of processes. Williams says, "These crusts…act like a living mulch across a desert, by protecting the surface from erosion. Once you disturb the soil surface, you're more likely to lose what little resources are available there."
Micromorphological investigations of BSC samples from the Mojave Desert show that a crust begins with cyanobacteria, a phylum of photosynthetic bacteria. These bacteria form smooth crusts on the desert surface and strengthen soil structure by sealing off the surface to effects of erosion. Wet/dry cycles cause this newly formed crust to expand and contract, leaving cracks in the crust that trap dust as it blows over the desert surface. This dust is an important source of nutrients.
Meanwhile, cyanobacteria weave around particles in the soil, forming thick layers of fine grains by trapping sediments in a sticky casing. Over many years, these bacteria-soil mixtures grow into jagged micro-peaks that accrete more dust and continue to evolve. These peaks are extremely fragile and sensitive to physical impacts such as vehicles, foot traffic, and grazing. BSC also impacts water distribution in arid environments. Fine dust particles settle and pockets of air form beneath the soil. These cavities trap water at the surface to be used by soil microbes and desert plants when it's needed most.
This new research reveals, that recovery of valuable BSC after a disturbance, can take years, depending on several environmental factors. Williams.says, "These crusts form important features that must be considered, not only for the restoration of crusts, but for entire desert ecosystems in the future."
(Note for mediterranean gardeners: keep cultivations to an absolute minimum in order to conserve soil moisture)
-
v. interesting David - thank you