This study addressed the possibility of rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe grisea) as a potential bioherbicide for the control of crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), in turf/lawn plantings. Experiments were: (i) evaluation of the effect of bioherbicide inoculum dosage (titer) on disease severity in crabgrass; (ii) competition between crabgrass and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. 'Fawn') and the additive effect of rice blast bioherbicide on the competitiveness of crabgrass; (iii) survival of rice blast spores under non-conducive infection conditions on crabgrass; and (iv) effect of multiple inoculations of rice blast fungus and subsequent disease on crabgrass.Spore concentrations of 5 x 105 to 1 x 106 conidia/mI had no significant difference in effect on mean biomass reduction of treated crabgrass. All produced tissue death and loss of vigor in treated crabgrass, but no plant death. In one trial, a spore concentration of 2 x 106 conidia/ml produced 100% biomass loss in treated crabgrass.Competition studies indicated crabgrass will out-compete fescue 'Fawn' in plots of equal numbers of each plant, i.e., 3 fescue and 3 crabgrass. In 10 x 10 cm mini-lawns of fescue interspersed with 5 crabgrass plants, fescue will out-compete the crabgrass. In mini-lawns of fescue and crabgrass, infection of crabgrass with non-lethal doses of rice blast fungus improved fescue's ability to out-compete crabgrass. Three methods of investigating competition were tested. Mini-lawns sown with 0.5 g fescue seed (approx. 200 seeds) with crabgrass seed sown into centers of the four quadrants and in center of the mini-lawn, worked best.Survival of Magnaporthe grisea conidia under non-conducive conditions was tested by drying inoculated crabgrass seedlings for 0-48 hours prior to dew-deposition. Treatments verified spores remain viable at least 24 hours on crabgrass leaves under greenhouse conditions (25-40° C and 25-75% relative humidity).Two successive inoculations (at 3 days and 7 days after primary inoculation) of crabgrass with M. grisea conidia (5 x 105 conidia/ml) resulted in significant reduction in growth compared to a single spore application.Results suggested Magnaporthe grisea exhibits potential for future development as a commercial bioherbicide to control crabgrass (Digitaria sanquinalis). Current studies investigated integration in lawn grass, but should be applicable to situations anywhere crabgrass is considered a weed e.g., in corn (Zea mans) or soybeans (Glycine max). / Department of Biology

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2006. / Adviser: Pei-Yuan Qian. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Sc. (Zoology and Entomology))--Rhodes University, 2006.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (M. Appl. Sc.) -- Lincoln University, 2000.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The sustainable use of natural resources is of utmost importance for every community. In particular, it is important for every given generation to plan in such a way that proper provision is made for future generations. The scientific understanding of resources use and appreciation for its life-supporting capacity is therefore essential. Mathematical modeling has proved useful to inform the planning and management of strategies for sustainable use of natural resources. Some specific topics in resource management has been studied intensively through many decades. In particular, mining, fisheries, forestry and water resources are among these. Instead of presenting a study of the latter topics, this dissertation presents a variety of cases of mathematical modeling in resource management. The aim is to improve the general understanding of the relevant problems. We expand on existing literature, papers of other authors, and add to such studies by focusing on specific items in the work, illuminating it with further explanations and graphs, or by modifying the models through the introduction of stochastic perturbations. In particular this dissertation makes contributions by giving more explanation, on the so-called environmental Fisher information or EFI for brevity (Section 2.4 and Chapter 6), and by introducing stochasticity into a pest control model (Chapter 4) and into a savanna vegetation model (Chapter 5). In Chapter 3 we present a model from the literature pertaining to the problem of shifting cultivation, i.e, the use of forest land when used for subsistence level agricultural purposes, until the land is so degraded that the occupants abandon it and move on to a new stand. The model used to study the shifting period is similar to the forest rotation problem. A model, already in the literature, for biological control of a pest is studied in Chapter 4. Onto the deterministic model we impose a stochastic perturii bation, so that we obtain a stochastic differential equation model. We prove stochastic stability of the disease-free state, when the basic reproduction number of the pest is below unity. We have performed simulations of solutions of the stochastic system. In Chapter 5 we review an existing ordinary differential equation model for the competition between trees and grass in savanna environment. The competition between them is for soil water, fed by annual rainfall. On the other hand, trees and grass are perturbed by fire, and some other environmental forcings such as herbivores. For this ODE model, we introduce stochastic perturbations. The stochastic perturbations are in the form of three mutually independent Brownian motions. Simulations to illustrate the effect of the stochasticity are shown. We present a three-tiered predator-prey model and consider its stability in terms of Fisher information. This appears as Chapter 6. The Fisher information is defined on the basis of the so-called sustainable measures hypotheses. The model is already in the literature and in the dissertation we present several computations to show the influence of carrying capacity of prey and of mortality rate on EFI. Another problem that we consider, in Chapter 7, is that of lake eutrophication caused by excessive phosphorus inflow. The computation illustrates the management of the runoff nutrients into or out of the lake. Necessary and the sufficient conditions for an optimal utility management are obtained using standard optimal control theory. The results of this dissertation demonstrate the modeling techniques in the sustainable use of natural resources. Sustainability is the quest for equal opportunities over all generations. The manner in which this sustainability is quantified in models is being debated and improved all the time. The discourse on sustainability is especially important in view of a growing world population, and with forcings such as climate change. The most important original contribution in this dissertation is the stochastic analysis on the pest control model and the savanna model.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:41:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:07:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-08-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:00:05Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 tabet_vg_me_ilha.pdf: 296081 bytes, checksum: c03f5ec675d051d3c1f3fdad607d8f60 (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / A videira é uma cultura de elevada importância econômica, e assim como outras culturas, sofre o ataque de diversas pragas e doenças. Videiras da região do município de Jales, Estado de São Paulo, tem sido intensamente infestadas pelo ácaro-rajado, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae), gerando aumento na utilização de acaricidas. O uso indiscriminado destes acaricidas pode contaminar o meio ambiente, os agricultores e os consumidores dos alimentos. Na busca por um controle alternativo, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo testar o efeito acaricida de produtos naturais sobre os ácaros dessa espécie. Para isso, fêmeas de T. urticae, criadas em laboratório a partir de espécimes coletados em videiras daquele local, foram pulverizadas em torre de Potter. Foram testados três produtos a base de nim (Azadirachta indica Juss.) e extrato pirolenhoso em diferentes concentrações, extratos aquosos e hidroetanólicos de dez plantas e óleos essenciais de seis plantas. Cada tratamento foi testado duas vezes, para confirmação dos resultados. A parcela experimental consistiu de uma placa de Petri com um disco de folha de feijão-de-porco (Canavalia ensiformes L.) contendo cinco fêmeas adultas de T. urticae, utilizando-se dez placas por tratamento. As avaliações foram realizadas após 24, 48, 72, 96 e 120 horas, para contagem do número de fêmeas mortas no disco e fêmeas encontradas no algodão umedecido, utilizado como barreira. As maiores mortalidades foram registradas nos tratamentos com Natuneem, óleo emulsionado de sementes de nim, extrato hidroetanólico de camomila (Matriacaria chamomilla L.) e extrato aquoso de erva doce (Pimpinella anisum L.). Óleos essenciais não tiveram efeito acaricida sobre T. urticae. Extratos aquosos de hortelã (Mentha x piperita L.), melissa (Melissa officinalis L.) e losna (Artemisia absinthium L.) e hidroetanólicos... / The vine is a culture of high economic importance, and as other cultures, it is attacked by various pests and diseases. Vines of the municipality of Jales, Sao Paulo State, there has been heavy infestations by two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae), generating an use of acaricides increased. The indiscriminate use of acaricides can contaminate the environment, farmers and food consumers. In the search for an alternative control, this study aimed to test the acaricidal effect of natural products on mites of this species. For this, T. urticae females, reared in the laboratory from specimens collected in vines that place, were sprayed in tower Potter. We tested three products based on neem (Azadirachta indica Juss.) and pyroligneous acid in different concentrations, aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts of ten plants and essential oils of six plants. Each treatment was tested twice to confirm the results.The experimental plot consisted of a Petri dish with a Canavalia ensiformis L. leaf disk containing five T. urticae female, using ten plates per treatment. The evaluations were realized after 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours, with counting of females killed in the disk and in cotton wool barrier. The highest mortalities were recorded in Natuneem, emulsified oil from neem seeds, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) aqueous extract and fennel (Pimpinella anisum L.) hydroethanolic extract treatments. Essential oils have no acaricide effect on T. urticae. High mortalities were recorded with peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) aqueous extracts and with pacari (Lafoensia pacari Saint-Hilaire) and oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) hydroethanolic extract... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

The influence of habitat loss on biodiversity is related to a set of non-linear processes, which strongly affect isolation and connectivity and determine both extinction and colonization rates. Landscape changes due anthropogenic disturbances are driving not only species loss per se, but also loss of functions performed by those species, which could have important impacts on the provision of ecosystem services and ecosystem function. The objective of this dissertation is to move beyond our current understanding about landscape processes underpinning bird persistence and avian-mediated pest control in fragmented landscapes. In chapter 1, we systematically review the empirical evidence of landscape structure effects on avian-mediated pest control in agricultural systems worldwide in order to point out the main landscape processes underpinning ecosystem service provision and gaps in knowledge where research efforts should be focused. We have found 226 bird species that provide pest regulation worldwide, and a substantial proportion of those are native habitat-dependent species in tropical systems. Moreover, more heterogeneous landscapes, increased habitat amount, and decreased isolation among patches are positively associated with increased avian-mediated pest control rates. Then, using bird data collected in fragmented landscapes in the Brazilian Atlantic forest, in chapter 2 we test for community-level extinction thresholds across a range of biodiversity indices (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity) in order to evaluate how much habitat is need to maintain sustainable ecosystem functioning and ecosystem resilience, and how matrix composition might affect these thresholds. In general, we have found that more permeable matrices are able to postpone species loss in fragmented landscapes. However, since habitat loss reaches 20% of habitat remaining, all aspects of biodiversity are compromised. Finally, in chapter 3 we investigate the cross-habitat spillover process - one of the main processes regulating avian-mediated pest control in tropical regions. Matrix composition is a key factor in facilitating species movement into matrices, as 24% of the species pool can spill over into coffee plantations, while spillover into pasture is nearly non-existent. Moreover, the interaction between forest cover and edge density is an important predictor of spillover when habitat amount is low. Our results suggest that landscape configuration and matrix composition should be considered when planning agricultural landscapes in order to ensure long-term persistence of biodiversity and ecosystem services provision / O efeito da perda de habitat sobre a biodiversidade está ligado a um conjunto de processos não-lineares que fortemente afetam a conectividade e o isolamento da paisagem, e determinam taxas de extinção e colonização. Mudanças na estrutura da paisagem desencadeadas por distúrbios antropogênicos levam não somente à perda de espécies per se, mas também a perda de funções que estas espécies desempenham no ecossistema, com importantes implicações em termos de funcionalidade e provisão de serviços ecossistêmicos. O objetivo geral desta tese é elucidar os processos, que ocorrem no nível da paisagem, que modulam a persistência de aves e, consequentemente, as funções destas aves na provisão do controle de pragas em paisagens fragmentadas. No primeiro capítulo da tese, nós revisamos sistematicamente as evidências empíricas dos efeitos da estrutura da paisagem sobre o controle de pragas provido por aves em sistemas agrícolas ao redor do mundo, identificando os processos, no nível da paisagem, subjacentes a este controle e as lacunas de conhecimento onde futuros esforços devem ser concentrados. Identificamos 226 espécies de aves provendo controle de pragas em sistemas agrícolas, sendo que uma porção substancial destas espécies em sistemas tropicais são dependentes de habitats nativos. Em geral, paisagens mais heterogêneas, com elevada cobertura de habitat nativo e menor isolamento entre fragmentos estão positivamente relacionados com elevadas taxas de controle de pragas provido por aves. Por conseguinte, no segundo capítulo, usamos dados de aves em paisagens fragmentadas emersas em diferentes contextos de matriz agrícola na Mata Atlântica brasileira, para testar limiares de extinção ao nível de comunidade. Foram usadas diferentes métricas de diversidade biológica (taxonômica, funcional e filogenética), com o intuito de avaliar o quanto de habitat é necessário para garantir o funcionamento e resiliência do ecossistema. Nós encontramos que matrizes mais permeáveis são capazes de postergar a perda de espécies em paisagens fragmentadas, no entanto, quando a perda de habitat alcança o limiar crítico de 20%, todos os aspectos da biodiversidade estão comprometidos, independentemente do tipo de matriz. Por fim, no capítulo 3, nós investigamos o processo de \'transbordamento\' (i.e. spillover), um dos principais processos reguladores da provisão do serviço de controle de pragas pela biota dependente de habitats nativos. Nós demonstramos que a composição da matriz é um fator determinante facilitando o movimento de espécies para as matrizes agrícolas, sendo que 24% do pool de espécies consegue utilizar matrizes de cafezal, enquanto este movimento é quase inexistente em matrizes de pastagem. Ademais, em paisagens com pouca cobertura florestal, a interação entre cobertura florestal e densidade de borda é um importante preditivo do spillover. Nossos resultados sugerem que a configuração da paisagem e a composição da matriz devem ser consideradas no planejamento de paisagens agrícolas para garantir a persistência em longo prazo da biodiversidade e a provisão de serviços ecossistêmicos

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:41:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:07:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / O objetivo do trabalho foi estudar os efeitos da radiação gama nas fases do ciclo evolutivo de ácaros: Tetranychus urticae, Tetranychus desertorum, Oligonychus ilicis, visando o tratamento quarentenário como um método alternativo de controle. Para a realização do trabalho, ácaros das três espécies acondicionadas em bandejas plásticas medindo 20x15 cm circundadas por algodão hidrofóbico e cola entomológica (Stick®) para evitar uma possível fuga dos ácaros. Posteriormente, cada espécie foi colocada separadamente dentro de gaiolas de madeiras revestidas com tela tipo organdi (1,5 x 1,5 x 1,5m), e mantidos em casa de vegetação sob hospedeiro alternativo, plantas de Feijão de Porco (Canavalia ensiformis L) e folhas de café (Coffea arábica L) apenas para O. ilicis. Os ácaros foram identificados em um microscópio estereoscópico e transferidos com um pincel de ponta fina sobre placas de petri individualizadas com 1 acaro fêmea por placa (um total de 32 placas) contendo folhas de feijão de porco e folhas de café (C. arábica L). A irradiação dos ácaros femeas foram feitas em um irradiador com fonte Cobalto-60, tipo Gammacell-220, sob uma taxa de dose 0.486 kGy/hora, com doses de: 0 (controle) 100, 200, 300 e 400 Gy, em um total de 5 tratamentos e 32 repetições para cada ácaro. As avaliações foram realizadas a cada 24 horas, por um período de 22 dias após a irradiação, contando-se o número de: ovos, ninfas, adultos e mortalidade dos ácaros. Para as análises estatísticas foram utilizados modelos lineares generalizados com distribuição do tipo quase-binomial e gaussiana para análise dos dados de proporções de mortalidade e duração em dias das fases de ovos e ninfas das três espécies de ácaros envolvidas no estudo. A verificação da qualidade do ajuste dos dados foi feita por meio do uso do gráfico meio-normal de probabilidades com envelope de simulação. Quando houve diferença significativa entre os tratamentos, múltiplas comparações (teste de Tukey, P<0,05) foram realizadas por meio da função glht do pacote multicomp com ajuste dos valores de P. Todas as análises foram realizadas utilizando-se o software estatístico R, versão 2.15.1. A diminuição da viabilidade dos ovos e das ninfas dos ácaros foi diretamente proporcional ao aumento das doses de radiação gama. A dose de 200 Gy foi esterilizante para todas as fases do ciclo evolutivo de O.ilicis e 300 Gy para T.urticae e T. desertorum. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP