Tag Archives: plant_gymnosperm

Roundup weedkiller and Roundup Ready crops

Posted on June 9, 2014 by argylesock

The world’s most popular weedkiller is called Roundup. It’s used in gardens, on farms and in public places. Many of the world’s most popular genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) crops are called Roundup Ready. You can spray these crops with … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, America, Asia, bacterium, Bayer, biotechnology, crop, Europe, farm, garden, genetic modification, glyphosate, herbicide, herbicide resistance, history, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, Monsanto, patent, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, Syngenta, trade, weed | 12 Comments

Killing bees in Oregon

Posted on May 12, 2014 by argylesock

Oregon may not be the best place to be a bee. Last year, 50 000 bumblebees (Bombus sp.) died there in a parking lot. Trees had been sprayed with pesticide. It turned out that the spray was dinotefuran, one of … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, miniculture | Tagged America, apiculture, arthropod, bumblebee, car, dinotefuran, Europe, honeybee, hymenopteran, insecticide, law, neonicotinoid, pesticide, plant_gymnosperm, roadside | 2 Comments

Stowaways in potted plants

Posted on April 18, 2014 by argylesock

Potted plants can seem so benign. Beautiful, fascinating, good to grow and give, but they may carry invasive species which are not benign. Tom Bawden at The Independent tells us about invasive species reaching Europe, including the New Guinea flatworm … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, horticulture, money and trade | Tagged alien species, America, Argentine ant, arthropod, Asia, Asian hornet, beetle, biosecurity, coleopteran, Europe, flatworm, garden, harlequin ladybird, herbivore, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, invertebrate, ladybird, landscape, lepidopteran, light brown apple moth, lily beetle, mollusc, moth, native species, New Guinea flatworm, New Zealand flatworm, oak processionary moth, pest, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, predator, rosemary leaf beetle, slug, snail, Spanish slug | 5 Comments

Food security and biofuels

Posted on April 15, 2014 by argylesock

Biofuels are renewable because they’re made from plants or animals, which grow. But sometimes biofuels are produced in ways that are not sustainable. Hungry people sometimes pay the cost. Can food security and biofuels go hand in hand? Today Léna … Continue reading →

Posted in food, knowledge transfer, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged access to land, algae, biodiversity, biofuel, climate, development, export, farmer, fire, food security, knowledge, land grab, land use, law, livestock, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, politics, poverty, prosperity, tillage, trade, tradition, waste, water | 7 Comments

Oregon Bumblebee Kill Resolution

Posted on December 25, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Living With Insects Blog:
Bumblebee Pollinating a Flower The case of the massive (50,000) bumblebee kill in Oregon has been settled. The court ruled that the bumblebees were killed by improper pesticide application. The pesticide, dinotefutan, was…

Posted in ecology, horticulture, miniculture | Tagged alien species, America, arthropod, bumblebee, conservation, dinotefuran, flower, honeybee, hymenopteran, insect, insecticide, law, neonicotinoid, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, pollination, tree, urban park, wild bee | Leave a comment

Exotic trees

Posted on December 9, 2013 by argylesock

Lewis at woodlands.co.uk tells us about the exotic (alien) trees which are familiar in our British landscapes. Lewis tells us how many of these trees arrived during colonial times when great houses and gardens were built. He doesn’t mention how … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology | Tagged alien species, arboriculture, disease, disease reservoir, ecosystem, forest, garden, hedge, history, human, invasive species, landscape, native species, naturalised species, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, sugar cane, tree, wood, woodland | Leave a comment

The first detailed maps of the world’s forests from 2000-2012 (Google Maps)

Posted on November 17, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on DESERTIFICATION:
Read at : http://google-latlong.blogspot.be/2013/11/mapping-worlds-deforestation-over-time.html Mapping the world’s deforestation over time We’re excited to announce today that, in a collaboration led by Dr. Matthew Hansen at the University of Maryland, we’ve built the first detailed maps of…

Posted in ecology, knowledge transfer | Tagged arboriculture, conservation, data, ecosystem, forest, habitat loss, history, knowledge, land use, map, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, tree, woodland | Leave a comment

New early warning system to protect trees

Posted on September 20, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Green Living London:
Tree health experts have secured nearly a million pounds of EU funding over four years to develop the LIFE+ ObservaTREE, an early warning system of pest and disease threats to the UK’s trees. Led by…

Posted in ecology, knowledge transfer | Tagged data, disease, emerging disease, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, research, tree | Leave a comment

Jumping species: how good intentions spread diseases

Posted on September 2, 2013 by argylesock

Ian Le Guillou at Understanding Animal Research (UAR) tells us how infectious diseases jump between species. These jumps often happen because of things that humans do. Sometimes, the disease jumps to us. Diseases that can infect humans and also other … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, human health, knowledge transfer | Tagged alien species, amphibian, apicomplexan, arthropod, bacterium, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, crop, disease, emerging disease, fungus, human, lab animal, laboratory, mammal, naturalised species, parasite, pathogen, pest, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii, tree, vertebrate, zoonosis | 5 Comments

“Dear Danny” – Chief Secretary responds to your note

Posted on August 2, 2013 by argylesock

Posted in ecology, money and trade | Tagged Alexander_Danny, conservation, Europe, finance, forest, land use, law, planning, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, politics, tree, woodland | Leave a comment