- Researcher and teacher in the field of entomology and agriculture. I focus on applied ecological studies of predation... moreResearcher and teacher in the field of entomology and agriculture. I focus on applied ecological studies of predation in scales from individual to community aiming at developing sustainable production systems which promote natural regulation and apply use of biological controledit
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Le strisce fiorite perenni migliorano l'efficacia della lotta biologica contro i parassiti nella frutticoltura. La guida tecnica presenta i risultati del progetto europeo EcoOrchard e di altri studi, spiega come funzionano le strisce... more
Le strisce fiorite perenni migliorano l'efficacia della lotta biologica contro i parassiti nella frutticoltura. La guida tecnica presenta i risultati del progetto europeo EcoOrchard e di altri studi, spiega come funzionano le strisce fiorite e come vengono utilizzate nella pratica.
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Perennial flower strips improve the effectiveness of biological pest control by predators and parasitoids in fruit production. The guide presents results from the European EcoOrchard project and other studies, explains how the flower... more
Perennial flower strips improve the effectiveness of biological pest control by predators and parasitoids in fruit production. The guide presents results from the European EcoOrchard project and other studies, explains how the flower strips function, introduces suitable plants and describes step by step the procedure for planting and maintenance. The information is supplemented by information on the costs and possible disadvantages of the flowering strips.
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The EcoOrchard project (2015-18) has produced a handbook on FAB assessment in dialogue with growers and advisors and a technical guideline for FAB orchard management. Orchards are perennial cultures, and, especially in organic fruit... more
The EcoOrchard project (2015-18) has produced a handbook on FAB assessment in dialogue with growers and advisors and a technical guideline for FAB orchard management. Orchards are perennial cultures, and, especially in organic fruit production, it is essential to design and manage orchards in a way which favours predators and parasitoids over pests. Increasing plant biodiversity and habitats in such a way that beneficial organisms are favoured is called Functional Agrobiodiversity (FAB). The value of FAB for reducing pesticide use in fruit production is generally acknowledged, and many organic fruit growers try to increase it in spite of a shortage of information on FAB, economical and technical challenges and lack of situation-specific, detailed advice. To improve this situation, ECOORCHARD combined several complementary approaches and prioritizes making information and tools about FAB available to practitioners.
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Perennial flower strips improve the effectiveness of biological pest control by predators and parasitoids in fruit production. The guide presents results from the European EcoOrchard project and other studies, explains how the flower... more
Perennial flower strips improve the effectiveness of biological pest control by predators and parasitoids in fruit production. The guide presents results from the European EcoOrchard project and other studies, explains how the flower strips function, introduces suitable plants and describes step by step the procedure for planting and maintenance. The information is supplemented by information on the costs and possible disadvantages of the flowering strips.
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BACKGROUNDUnderstanding the dynamics of pest immigration into an agroecosystem enables effective and timely management strategies. The pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus) is a primary pest of the inflorescence stages of oilseed rape... more
BACKGROUNDUnderstanding the dynamics of pest immigration into an agroecosystem enables effective and timely management strategies. The pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus) is a primary pest of the inflorescence stages of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). This study investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of pollen beetle immigration into oilseed rape fields in Denmark and the UK using multiple methods, including optical sensors.RESULTSIn all fields, pollen beetles were found to be aggregated and beetle density was related to plant growth stage, with more beetles occurring on plants after the budding stage than before inflorescence development. Optical sensors were the most efficient monitoring method, recording pollen beetles 2 and 4 days ahead of water traps and counts from plant scouting, respectively.CONCLUSIONOptical sensors are a promising tool for early warning of insect pest immigration. The aggregation pattern of pollen beetles post immigration could be used to precisel...
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Las franjas de flores perennes mejoran la eficacia del control biologico de plagas por depredadores y parasitoides en la produccion de fruta. La guia presenta los resultados del proyecto europeo EcoOrchard y otros estudios, explica como... more
Las franjas de flores perennes mejoran la eficacia del control biologico de plagas por depredadores y parasitoides en la produccion de fruta. La guia presenta los resultados del proyecto europeo EcoOrchard y otros estudios, explica como funcionan las bandas florales, introduce las plantas adecuadas y describe paso a paso el procedimiento de plantacion y mantenimiento. La informacion se complementa con informacion sobre los costes y las posibles desventajas de las bandas florales.
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Fruit growers often suffer economic losses due to insect damages. The available natural pest control products are not always effective; and for organic fruit growers options for direct control are relatively few. EcoOrchard, a CORE... more
Fruit growers often suffer economic losses due to insect damages. The available natural pest control products are not always effective; and for organic fruit growers options for direct control are relatively few. EcoOrchard, a CORE Organic Plus project (2015-18) tracked EU farmers knowledge of Functional AgroBiodiversity (FAB) and generated new knowledge in order to successfully use FAB in orchards by a joint field experiment across seven countries of perennial flower strips to assess impact on natural enemies, codling moths and yield. The project also established the BIONetwork as a European-wide network of stakeholders for collecting, sharing and improving scientific and practical knowledge and experience in FAB management, and developed simple FAB assessment tools for on-farm use by growers, so that they can better understand FAB effects in their ownorchar d; finally, partners used a participatory approach to learn about potential constraints that may hamper the adoption of innov...
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Perennial flower strips improve the effectiveness of biological pest control by predators and parasitoids in fruit production. The guide presents results from the European EcoOrchard project and other studies, explains how the flower... more
Perennial flower strips improve the effectiveness of biological pest control by predators and parasitoids in fruit production. The guide presents results from the European EcoOrchard project and other studies, explains how the flower strips function, introduces suitable plants and describes step by step the procedure for planting and maintenance. The information is supplemented by information on the costs and possible disadvantages of the flowering strips.
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A short view on functional agrobiodiversity, what do we know about it in Latvia. What do Latvian apple orchard owners think about it, what are demands in national laws and regulations. What has been done in project ECOORCHARD in this... more
A short view on functional agrobiodiversity, what do we know about it in Latvia. What do Latvian apple orchard owners think about it, what are demands in national laws and regulations. What has been done in project ECOORCHARD in this context.
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The behavioural response of Tetranychus urticae to chemical cues from specialist predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis, or generalist predatory bugs, Orius majusculus, on either bean or strawberry was studied in experimental arenas.... more
The behavioural response of Tetranychus urticae to chemical cues from specialist predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis, or generalist predatory bugs, Orius majusculus, on either bean or strawberry was studied in experimental arenas. Predators were placed on the leaf disc for 24 h and removed before T. urticae females were introduced. After 24 h, prey fecundity (number of eggs laid) and dispersal (number of prey drowned in the water barrier) were assessed. Chemical cues from the specialist predator resulted in reduced prey fecundity, significantly different from the generalist predator and control treatments. No interaction effect was found between plant species and prey fecundity, while significantly more eggs were laid on bean than on strawberry. Predator cues irrespective of predator specialization resulted in more prey dispersal than in the control. Findings emphasize the importance of specialization in the predator species complex for the degree and type of antipredator responses and resulting biological control.
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Research Interests: Botany, Biology, Medicine, Insects, Biological Pest Control, and 3 moreCecidomyiidae, Aphid, and Gall
... Authors L??vei, GL; Magura, T.; Sigsg??rd, L.; Ravn, HP Editors Szyszko, J.;Boer, PJ den.;Bauer, T. Book chapter; Conference paper How to protect or what we know about Carabid Beetles: from knowledge to application, from Wijster... more
... Authors L??vei, GL; Magura, T.; Sigsg??rd, L.; Ravn, HP Editors Szyszko, J.;Boer, PJ den.;Bauer, T. Book chapter; Conference paper How to protect or what we know about Carabid Beetles: from knowledge to application, from Wijster (1969) to Tuczno (2001) 2002 pp. ...
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Arthropods are essential in maintaining healthy and productive agricultural ecosystems. Agricultural crops such as apples are typically pollinated by domesticated honey bees, but wild bees and other arthropod flower visitors also... more
Arthropods are essential in maintaining healthy and productive agricultural ecosystems. Agricultural crops such as apples are typically pollinated by domesticated honey bees, but wild bees and other arthropod flower visitors also contribute to pollination. Flower visitors can also be natural enemies of crop‐pests or herbivores. Biodiversity is under pressure and knowledge of wildflower visitors is an important tool in designing orchards that can support high functional biodiversity. In our study, we assessed the diversity of arthropod flower visitors in four Danish apple orchards using both molecular and nonmolecular techniques to study arthropod communities in agricultural ecosystems. Arthropod DNA collected from apple flowers was analyzed using a DNA metabarcoding approach using the mitochondrial COI marker, while arthropod pollinators were recorded through visual assessment surveys. These complementary techniques resulted in a total of 19 arthropod taxa detected. Nonbee arthropod...
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Arthropods are essential to maintaining healthy and productive agricultural systems. Apples are cultivated worldwide and rely on pollination. Honey bees are used for pollination but wild bees and other arthropods also contribute to... more
Arthropods are essential to maintaining healthy and productive agricultural systems. Apples are cultivated worldwide and rely on pollination. Honey bees are used for pollination but wild bees and other arthropods also contribute to pollination. Flower visitors can also be natural enemies or herbivores. In some cases, such as Syrphids, a group can have more than one role, adults being pollinators and the larvae being natural enemies of pests. In the present study, we assessed the biodiversity of arthropod flower visitors in four Danish apple orchards and compared the use of molecular and non-molecular techniques to study arthropod communities in agricultural ecosystems. Arthropod DNA collected from apple flowers was analysed by metabarcoding and pollinators were recorded through visual assessment in the orchards. These techniques resulted in two complementary lists of arthropods detected. Non-bee arthropods constituted a big part of the community of apple flower visitors by both meth...
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Mulching in organic agriculture is important for a variety of roles it performs. Mexican weeping pine (Pinus patula Schelde. ex Schltdl and Cham) and wild lemon grass (Cymbopogon spp.) were used as mulch to evaluate the effect of type of... more
Mulching in organic agriculture is important for a variety of roles it performs. Mexican weeping pine (Pinus patula Schelde. ex Schltdl and Cham) and wild lemon grass (Cymbopogon spp.) were used as mulch to evaluate the effect of type of mulch, time of applying mulch and influence of seasons on yield of organically produced tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Lushoto district, north-eastern Tanzania. The experiment followed a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD). The treatments were pine mulch applied 3 days after transplanting, pine mulch applied 3 weeks after transplanting, grass mulch applied 3 days after transplanting, grass mulch applied 3 weeks after transplanting, weeded and unweeded (control). Yield data were taken at harvesting. Data analysis was done by using Genstat Statistical Package. Results showed that the time of mulch application at an interval of three days and three weeks from transplanting did not have an influence on yield but yields of tomato were significan...
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With frequent host shifts involving the colonization of new hosts across large geographical ranges, crop pests are good models for examining the mechanisms of rapid colonization. The microbial partners of pest insects may also be involved... more
With frequent host shifts involving the colonization of new hosts across large geographical ranges, crop pests are good models for examining the mechanisms of rapid colonization. The microbial partners of pest insects may also be involved in or affected by colonization processes, which has been little studied so far. We investigated the demographic history of the rosy apple aphid, Dysaphis plantaginea, a major pest of the cultivated apple (Malus domestica) in Europe, North Africa and North America, as well as the diversity of its microbiota. We genotyped a comprehensive sample of 714 colonies from Europe, Morocco and the US using mitochondrial (CytB and CO1), bacterial (16s rRNA and TrnpB), and 30 microsatellite markers. We detected five populations spread across the US, Morocco, Western and Eastern Europe and Spain. Populations showed weak genetic differentiation and high genetic diversity, except the ones from Morocco and North America that are likely the result of recent coloniza...