Scientists discover how insecticides reverse herbicide resistance.

Scientists investigating ways to delay pre-emergent herbicide resistance within agricultural weeds have discovered applying an insecticide can reverse some types of resistance. The discovery is being welcomed by grain growers who are battling a number of weeds with growing amounts of resistance to chemical controls. In Western Australia this is often annual ryegrass. Research fellow at the University of Western Australia and researcher at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) Roberto Busi said the finding was a significant step forward. He said his work had shown that it was possible to reverse metabolic resistance to trifluralin in annual ryegrass using the organo-phosphate insecticide phorate. Metabolic resistance is a defense mechanism plants can have which they use to protect themselves against herbicide toxicity. continue

Vaccination linked to brain damage in canines.

Vaccination linked to brain damage in canines. Neurological damage is one of the most prevalent and least desired adverse effects of the vaccine process. By over-vaccinating canines, we are introducing a potentially serious danger into society: brain damaged dogs. Amongst the vaccine-induced antibodies found in the Purdue study, autoantibodies to Cardiolipin were found. Elevated levels of anti-cardiolipin autoantibodies (ACA) have been reported to be significantly associated with neurological conditions. Encephalitis has been shown to appear in dogs after vaccination. (Grene, CE, ed, Appel MJ, Canine Distemper in Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat, 2nd edition, Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1998: 9-22). Writing in the Veterinary Record during 1992 (130, 27-30), AIP McCandlish et al state: “Post-vaccinal encephalitis is a recognized complication of the administration of certain strains of live attenuated canine distemper vaccine (Hartley 1974, Bestetti and others 1978, Cornwell and others 1988)”. Post vaccinal canine distemper encephalitis occurs in young animals, especially those less than six months of age. It has been recognized as a disease entity for a number of years, and is believed to be association with vaccination using live virus. The pathogenesis of this disease is unclear, but may result from insufficient attenuation of the vaccine virus which causes subsequent infections of the CNS; the triggering of a latent distemper infection by vaccination; other vaccine components; or an enhanced susceptibility of the animal (e.g., animals that are immunosuppressed). more

3 key ingredients to achieve food security in Africa.

African farmers face one of the greatest balancing acts of the 21st century – feeding a rapidly expanding population without causing irreparable damage to the environment they rely on. It’s a monumental ask. Africa’s population set to surge to 2.4 billion by 2050 the continent will inevitably continue to see rapidly rising demand for food. Pushing up supply to meet demand is no easy feat and the challenge is compounded by climate change. But “50years ago, commentators said it would be impossible to feed the population we have now. Yet between everybody working up and down the supply chain those naysayers have been proved wrong,” said Tim Smith, group quality director at Tesco and Farm Africa’s latest board member. The stakes have never been so high. Africa needs a clear roadmap on how to achieve long-term, sustainable food security. GROWING MORE – AND BETTER more

Holistic dog care.

Holistic dog health combines several traditional and alternative therapies to treat ailing dogs into a single approach with the focus on what's most important. Holistic Dog Health MedicineHolistic dog health is often confused with homeopathic dog health. Homeopathic remedies are all about stimulating the body's natural healing response with the use of plants, minerals, animal substances and other natural treatments. Veterinarians that practice holistic dog health look at the canine's overall health – not just a few symptoms – and use both traditional and alternative treatments. If you choose to treat your pet holistically, he may be prescribed an herbal remedy or a prescription drug. He may receive massage therapy or need to have lab work done. In short, holistic dog health looks for the best and healthiest way to treat a dog without choosing to be on the traditional or alternative side of the fence. The holistic approach to dog’s health takes every aspect of the dog into account – food and nutrition, lifestyle, activity level, supplements, medicine, and treatments. All these must work together to support the dog’s well-being. Holistic veterinary medicine is currently a trending topic, and pet food companies are quick to utilize opportunities. more

The World Health Organisation draws up list of drug-resistant bacteria..

The World Health Organization has drawn up a list of the drug-resistant bacteria that pose the biggest threat to human health.Top of the list are gram-negative bugs, such as E. coli, which can cause lethal bloodstream infections and pneumonia in frail hospital patients. The list will be discussed ahead of this summer's G20 meeting in Germany.The aim is to focus the minds of governments on finding new antibiotics to fight hard-to-treat infections. Experts have repeatedly warned that we are on the cusp of a "post-antibiotic era", where some infections will be untreatable with existing drugs.Common infections could then spread and kill.Dr Marie-Paule Kieny from the WHO said antibiotic resistance was reaching "alarming proportions" and yet the drug pipeline was "practically dry". "We are fast running out of treatment options. If we leave it to market forces alone, the new antibiotics we most urgently need are not going to be developed in time." The WHO says there is a danger that pharmaceutical companies will develop only treatments that are easier and more profitable to make - the low-hanging fruit.The focus should be on clinical need instead, says the WHO. Tuberculosis was not included on the list because the search for new treatments for this infection is already being prioritized. Experts drew up the list by looking at the current level of drug resistance, global death rates, prevalence of the infections in communities and the burden the diseases cause on health systems. One of the infections at the top is a bacterium called Klebsiella that has recently developed resistance to a powerful class of antibiotics called carbapenems. The US recently reported the fatal case of a woman who caught this infection which could not be treated with any of 26 different antibiotics available to her doctors. The list; CRITICAL . 1) Acinetobacter baumannii (carbapenem-resistant) - can cause serious chest and blood infections 2)Pseudomonas aeruginosa (carbapenem-resistant) - can cause serious chest and blood infections 3) Enterobacteriaceae, including Klebsiella, E. coli, Serratia, and Proteus (carbapenem-resistant, ESBL-producing strains) - can cause serious chest, blood and urine infections HIGH PRIORITY 1)Enterococcus faecium (vancomycin-resistant) - can cause serious wound and blood infections 2)Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant, vancomycin-intermediate and resistant) - can cause serious chest, blood, urine and wound infections 3)Helicobacter pylori (clarithromycin-resistant) - infection linked to stomach ulcers 4)Campylobacter spp. (fluoroquinolone-resistant) - can cause diarrhoeal disease and bloodstream infections 5)Salmonellae (fluoroquinolone-resistant) - can cause diarrhoeal disease and blood poisoning 6)Neisseria gonorrhoeae (cephalosporin-resistant, fluoroquinolone-resistant) - a sexually transmitted infection that can cause infertility and, rarely, can spread to the blood and joints. more

Reducing Post-Harvest Loss in the Nigerian Tomato Value Chain.

The business of tomato production and marketing in Nigeria is extremely dynamic. The YieldWise program, a Rockefeller Foundation initiative, focuses on tomatoes, a ubiquitous regional crop that farmers have been cultivating for years in spite of volatile markets and unpredictable returns on investment. As with most perishable vegetables, tomato production faces consistent market instability. This has led to an average annual post-harvest loss of up to 45 percent. It is well known among stakeholders in the value chain that tomato is a commodity that historically could either drive a farmer into poverty or provide a path out of it depending on market dynamics, weather, or pests and diseases. It is in recognition of the importance of this crop and the potential impact that loss reduction could have on farmers’ livelihoods that PYXERA Global supports the YieldWise initiative and works with local and international partners to reduce post-harvest loss in the tomato value chain.more

Zero energy cooling chamber extends fruits and vegetables shelf-life.

Zero energy Cooling chamber extends fruits and vegetables shelf-life.Small-scale farmers can increase shelf-life of fruits and vegetables for up to nine days by storing their produce in simple non-energy reliant cooling chambers. A zero energy Cool chamber does not demand any form of power to run, making it appropriate for off-the grid farmers.The structure, which is build by locally available material, relies on the principle of evaporative Cooling. Materials required include bricks, river-bed sand, bamboo and water. Two parallel brick walls are constructed in form of a rectangle above the ground. Sand is filled into the cavity between the two walls. A standard small-scale unit can be constructed with measurements of 165 cm by 115 cm floor. Erect a cavity of 67.5 cm high-leaving an inter-space of 7.5cm. Drench the river-bed-sand- filled cavity with water. Make a cover lid of bamboo with straws of grass. Evaporative cooling occurs when air, which is not saturated with water, passes over a wet place. This cools the sand-bed of the cooling chamber.As water evaporates from the bed, it causes a cooling effect. Faster rates of evaporation lead to greater cooling. Cooling in the produce happens because water consumes energy to change to gaseous state. This means energy that could have facilitated metabolism in the fruits or vegetables is used up.Cooling chambers can reduce temperature to between 10 degree Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius. And humidity would be kept well above 90 per cent. Low humidity air sucks a lot of water from the system. Increased humidity causes drop in temperatures due to low metabolism in the foods because of inactivity of enzymes. Active enzymes cause more ripening and deterioration of the skin of fruits. continue