Search Results (24)

Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are pivotal to sustaining biodiversity and enhancing agricultural productivity, thanks to their unique pollination mechanisms, including “buzz pollination”. Their ability to operate under adverse conditions—low temperatures and dim light—makes them essential for crops like tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries. This study synthesizes the ecological and behavioral traits of bumblebees, such as floral fidelity and vibration pollination, and explores their indispensable role in agricultural systems, particularly in greenhouse and open-field farming. By employing a bibliometric analysis, this review identifies critical research trends and emerging frontiers in bumblebee pollination, including their integration with precision agriculture technologies like remote sensing and artificial intelligence. Notably, there is increasing research on the impacts of climate change on bumblebee behavior and distribution, with studies focusing on how environmental stressors influence pollination efficiency. Additionally, the potential of using bumblebees in agroecological approaches and their role in enhancing crop resilience in changing climates are gaining traction. Moreover, it highlights the challenges posed by habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change, emphasizing the urgency of conservation efforts. This study proposes interdisciplinary strategies for optimizing bumblebee pollination services, aiming to support sustainable agriculture and strengthen ecosystem resilience. The findings provide theoretical and practical insights for leveraging bumblebee pollination to achieve global food security and ecosystem stability. Full article

In view of a constant growth in the human population on Earth, the provision of a necessary amount of high-quality food looks challenging. As over 10% of the crop yields are annually lost due to the presence of phytopathogens, the development of novel, eco-friendly methods of pest eradication might contribute to avoiding nutritional shortages. Here, we propose a controlled application of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) generated in the form of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ), for which we conducted multivariate optimization of the working parameters with the use of the design of experiments (DoE) in addition to the response surface methodology (RSM). After estimating the optimal operating conditions of APPJ, we determined the inactivation rates caused by 2 min CAPP exposure towards bacterial phytopathogens from three species Dickeya solani, Pectobacterium atrosepticum and Pectobacterium carotovorum artificially inoculated on the surface of plant seeds from four species. Logarithmic reductions, as a key result of this work, were enclosed in the range of 1.61–4.95 in the case of Cucumis sativus, Pisum sativum, and Vigna radiata, while for the bacteria-inoculated Zea mays seeds, lower antibacterial properties of APPJ equaling 0.86–1.12 logs were noted. The herein applied exposure to APPJ did not reveal any statistically significant detrimental effects on the germination of plant seeds, seed coat integrity, or early plant growth. Even plant growth promotion by 20.96% was observed for the APPJ-exposed Zea mays seeds. By applying colorimetric assays and optical emission spectrometry (OES), we determined the oxidative potential in addition to identifying the reactive oxygen species (ROS) ^•OH, ^•HO₂, ^•O₂⁻, O₃, and ¹O₂ and the reactive nitrogen species (RNS) N, NO₂, and NO₃ responsible for the antibacterial properties of APPJ. In summary, universal antiphytopathogenic properties of the APPJ treatment reached due to proper optimization of the working conditions were revealed against three bacterial strains from the family Pectobacteriaceae inoculated on the seeds from diverse plant species. The data presented herein may contribute to future development of the plasma agriculture field and provide alternatives to pesticides or the prevention-based control methods towards plant pathogenic bacteria. Full article

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in attention towards the use of pesticides, as evidenced by the introduction of regulations aimed at ensuring their safe and environmentally responsible application. Although this stricter legislative framework offers potential benefits, the challenges faced by farmers, particularly those in small-scale operations, in complying with occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements are considerable. To address this issue, a research project was promoted by the Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL) aimed at developing a user-friendly software tool to support farmers in planning pesticide applications in safe conditions. This study summarizes the results of the research, which consisted of three main phases: the definition of the main parameters that characterize the farmers’ exposure based on the analysis of the literature; the development of a risk assessment model that integrates these determinants with data provided by producers for each authorized pesticide; and the development of software tool (called SICURPEST) for a preliminary risk assessment when using pesticides. This tool serves as a preliminary risk assessment method, offering a simplified model for practical use by farmers. Its initial verification was conducted through a case study and the results represent a step towards promoting safer pesticide practices, providing a solid basis for further validation. Full article

This study investigates the degradation characteristics of chlorpyrifos under individual exposure and compound exposure to multiple pesticides in both traditional constructed wetlands and electrochemically constructed wetland coupled systems, while also analyzing the microbial communities within the systems using high-throughput sequencing technology. The results show that the electric field can enhance the degradation performance of the system. The degradation effect of the coupled electrochemically constructed wetland coupled system is better than that of the traditional constructed wetland, while the compound exposure to multiple pesticides inhibits the degradation efficiency. Under the influence of pesticides, the diversity of microbial communities decreases towards the end of the system operation, and the electrochemically constructed wetland coupled system exhibits lower diversity compared to the traditional constructed wetland. Proteobacteria is the dominant phylum under compound exposure to multiple pesticides, while Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Aeromonas, and Methylophilus are the dominant electrochemically active phyla and genera in the electrochemically constructed wetland coupled system. The impact of pesticides and the electric field results in a decrease in amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism functions, while membrane transport functions increase. The compound exposure to multiple pesticides has a more significant impact on the microbial community structure and functionality than the electric field. The results also lay a theoretical foundation for the expansion of pesticide degradation technology and constructed wetland treatment technology to new fields, which is of great significance in realizing the “zero direct discharge” of agricultural production wastewater, solving the problem of agricultural non-point source pollution and ensuring the availability of agricultural production. Full article

Fungus gnats (Sciaridae) are one of the most devastating pests on mushroom farms. Generally, they are controlled using relatively inefficient physical means, like sticky or pheromone traps, or with chemical pesticides. Here, we have proposed an integrated fungus gnat control system combining a UV-A LED source at 365 nm and a high-power laser diode at 445 nm. The 365 nm UV-A LED serves a light trap, since previous studies have concluded that fungus gnats show maximum attraction in the range of 365–390 nm. The UV-A LED is also modulated at different frequencies, and the response of the gnats corresponding to these different frequencies was observed. We utilized an Arduino Uno microcontroller to run the integrated device, and a BASLER USB camera was used to capture the images. Our experiments indicated that a frequency of 40 Hz is the optimal choice for attracting the gnats most rapidly. Within 20 s of exposure, the UV-A LED operated at 40 Hz was found to trap approximately 80% of the gnats. In a restricted trapping zone measuring 2.5 × 2.5 × 3 cm³, our integrated module, which includes a 40 Hz modulated UV-A LED and a laser, resulted in a survival rate of only 50% for the total number of gnats. This outcome was accomplished through periodic 200 ms long exposures, amounting to a total duration of 2 min for a group of 100 gnats. Full article

Pesticide application in agricultural and residential areas is a worldwide practice. However, human pesticide poisoning and environmental pollution through pesticide residues remain a challenge in the developing world. The present study investigated the intensity of pesticide application in large-scale farms in Trans-Nzoia County to screen and prioritize the pesticides for potential human health and environmental risks. A cross-sectional survey involving 348 farmers was conducted in the study area, and data was analyzed using SPSS. Environmental Exposure Potential (EEP) and Toxicity Potentials (TP) were analyzed from the Pesticide Properties Database (PPDB). Majority (99.4%) of the farms surveyed apply various pesticide classes that include: organophosphates (34.78%), neonicotinoids (15.22%), carbamates (10.87%), pyrethroids (10.87%), organochlorines (8.7%), triazoles (6.5%), copper-based (4.34%), avermectines (2.17%), triazines (2.17%), and amidines (2.17%), with the use of organic manures (26.3%). Despite the high prevalence of pesticide application, only 48.28% of farms conduct soil quality monitoring, 77.3% of whom do not have clear records and schedules for conducting periodic soil analyses. There was a strong positive correlation between the acreage of operation and the use of herbicides in weed management (r = 0.77; p ≤ 0.05). In relation to degradation in the environment, 18.42% of the pesticides applied in the study area were persistent in soil sub-systems while 31.58% are persistent in water. Of the pesticides applied, 18.42% had high chances of bioconcentration in living tissues, 10.53% and 13.16% had the potential of contaminating groundwater and surface water resources, respectively. The ranked-order human toxicity potential associated with the used pesticides were teratogenicity (31.58%), neurotoxicity (28.95%), endocrine disruption (7.9%), carcinogenicity (7.9%), and mutagenicity (2.63%). However, 10.53% of the pesticides possess multiple toxicity potentials. Some farmers (53.70%) surveyed were not aware of the negative environmental impacts of pesticides with 59.50% having prior training on the use and handling of pesticides. Despite the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) on larger farms, 31.9% of the farm workers do not adhere to their use during pesticide application. In conclusion, there is low awareness among farmers of human health and environmental risks associated with pesticide application. The study recommends training of farm managers, farm owners, and farm workers on pesticide handling and associated health and environmental effects. Full article

Plant protection control based on the spray application of plant protection products is a very complex task depending on a series of factors, among which droplet size is the most influential for deposition and pesticide effectiveness. In fact, the adoption of the correct droplet size can ensure that the required dose reaches the target area and is not wasted, minimizes the off-target losses due to evaporation, drift and run-off and, at the same time, enhances the operator’s safety in terms of inhalation, ingestion and dermal exposure. In this paper, after defining some mean characteristic diameters helpful for a description of a drop population and focusing on the main drop size distribution functions for the statistical characterization of sprays, a critical analysis of known methods, both intrusive and non-intrusive, for drop size measurement is carried out by reviewing the literature. Among intrusive methods, the liquid immersion method and the use of water-sensitive papers are discussed, whereas, among non-intrusive methods, laser-based systems (laser diffraction, phase Doppler particle analysis) and high-speed imaging (shadowgrapy) are presented. Both types of method, intrusive and non-intrusive, can be used in machine-learning-based approaches exploiting regression techniques and neural network analysis. Full article

Droplet size spectrum is a key factor in pesticide application because it affects the biological efficacy of a treatment in terms of target coverage, environmental impact in terms of evaporation, drift and run-off, and operator’s safety in terms of inhalation and dermal exposure. Droplet measurement methods based upon image analysis have to face the “binarization” or “segmentation” process, by which the objects of interest (the droplets) are extracted from the background. Segmentation is carried out by choosing appropriate threshold values, mostly based on the operator’s experience. In this study, images of droplets of an air induction nozzle TVI 8002 at four pressures (0.3, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 MPa) were obtained using the liquid immersion method. Each image was processed multiple times, firstly by using a “reference” threshold value based on the operator’s experience and then by using 11 different threshold values, chosen in the range of around ±5% of the reference threshold and based upon the average gray level of the image. For each threshold value, the corresponding spray parameters (volumetric diameters, mean diameters, Sauter diameters, and numeric diameters) were analyzed. The results showed that spray parameters had a statistically significant linear trend with respect to the threshold values in most cases. However, in absolute terms, variations were almost always less than 1.0% of reference values. This result allows considering the image acquisition system used in the present study as an automatic tool able to select the threshold according to the gray level of the image, making the whole segmentation process faster, more objective, and less dependent on the operator’s experience. Full article

Objective: This study aimed to develop a nomogram for the risk assessment of any type of birth defect in offspring using a large birth-defect database in Northwest China. Methods: This study was based on a birth-defect survey, which included 29,204 eligible women who were pregnant between 2010 and 2013 in the Shaanxi province of Northwest China. The participants from central Shaanxi province were assigned to the training group, while the subjects from the south and north of Shaanxi province were assigned to the external validation group. The primary outcome was the occurrence of any type of birth defect in the offspring. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to establish a prediction nomogram, while the discrimination and calibration were evaluated by external validation. Results: The multivariate analyses revealed that household registration, history of miscarriages, family history of birth defects, infection, taking medicine, pesticide exposure, folic acid supplementation, and single/twin pregnancy were significant factors in the occurrence of birth defects. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the prediction model was 0.682 (95% CI 0.653 to 0.710) in the training set. The validation set showed moderate discrimination, with an AUC of 0.651 (95% CI 0.614 to 0.689). Additionally, the prediction model had a good calibration (HL χ² = 8.106, p= 0.323). Conclusions: We developed a nomogram risk model for any type of birth defect in a Chinese population based on important modifying factors in pregnant women. This risk-prediction model could be a tool for clinicians to assess the risk of birth defects and promote health education. Full article

Dermal transfer of pesticide residues to human skin due to contact with treated crops, treated surfaces, or contaminated surfaces is an important route of exposure for operators, workers and possibly for bystanders and residents. However, information on dermal transfer data is limited and mainly available for workers. The aim of the present study has been to generate both dermal exposure and transfer data related for operators involved in sequential tasks of mixing/loading and application of pesticides in a southern EU zone greenhouse. Exposure measurements were based on the principles of the whole-body dosimetry (WBD) method involving the use of cotton coveralls and gloves as dosimeters. Six field trials were conducted in three tomato greenhouses, on the island of Crete, Greece. The study results showed that the contribution of existing pesticide deposits on the treated crops, i.e., from an application conducted earlier the same day, was in the range of 8–16% for the application task and 0.9–18% for the mixing/loading task in relation to the measured total exposure to this pesticide during a short-term sequential application. The results of this study have been incorporated in the GAOEM (Greenhouse Agricultural Operator Exposure Model) included in the updated EFSA Guidance on the assessment of exposure of operators, workers, residents and bystanders in risk assessment of plant protection products. The low values of the pesticide amount penetrating the coverall (actual dermal exposure) in all cases highlight and confirm the need for the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for operator safety. Full article

Knowledge of pesticide exposure levels in farmers is necessary for epidemiological studies and regulatory purposes. In the European pesticide registration process, operators’ exposure is predicted using the Agricultural Operator Exposure Model (AOEM), created in 2014 by the European Food Safety Authority based on studies conducted by the pesticide industry. We compared operators’ exposures during treatment days in the apple-growing industry under non-controlled working conditions and AOEM-predicted values. The dermal exposure of thirty French apple-growers from the CANEPA study when applying two fungicides was measured using body patches and cotton gloves. For each observation, the corresponding exposure was calculated by means of the AOEM, using data recorded about the operator, spraying equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) used. A significant linear correlation was observed between calculated and measured daily exposures. The model overestimated the daily exposure approximately 4-fold and the exposure during application 10-fold. However, exposure was underestimated during mixing/loading for 70% of the observations when the operator wore PPE. The AOEM did not overestimate exposures in all circumstances, especially during mixing/loading, when operators handle concentrated products. The protection provided by PPE appeared to be overestimated. This could be due to the optimal working conditions under which the “industrial” studies are conducted, which may not be representative of real working conditions of operators in fruit-growing. Full article

The exposure of operators, workers, residents and bystanders to pesticides is of high potential concern. Yet, reports on pesticide residues in the environment and near treated fields often spark debates if such findings might indicate a health risk. Although the underlying models are considered conservative, there are only limited field data on systemic exposure available. As a first step to improve the situation, we conducted a scoping review of state-of-the-art pesticide exposure biomonitoring studies in operators, workers, residents or bystanders. In contrast to existing reviews, we focused on target cultures of potential high pesticide exposure such as tree-grown produce, vine or hops. The search was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. Out of 17 eligible articles, a total of 11 studies met our search criteria, and 6 of them quantified the systemic exposure of humans. The analysis revealed that exposure was mainly driven by application of pesticides and reentry work, resulting in a higher exposure of operators and workers than of residents and bystanders. In nearly all cases, the systemic exposure was below the relevant toxicological reference values. The studies were subsequently analyzed to identify key criteria for a reliable design of a biomonitoring study on pesticide exposure. Full article

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. Pesticide use data are available for California from the Pesticide Use Report (PUR), but household- and individual-level exposure factors have not been fully characterized to support its refinement as an exposure assessment tool. Unique exposure pathways, such as proximity to agricultural operations and direct occupational contact, further complicate pesticide exposure assessment among agricultural communities. We sought to identify influencing factors of pesticide exposure to support future exposure assessment and epidemiological studies. Household dust samples were collected from 28 homes in four California agricultural communities during January and June 2019 and were analyzed for the presence of OPs. Factors influencing household OPs were identified by a data-driven model via best subsets regression. Key factors that impacted dust OP levels included household cooling strategies, secondary occupational exposure to pesticides, and geographic location by community. Although PUR data demonstrate seasonal trends in pesticide application, this study did not identify season as an important factor, suggesting OP persistence in the home. These results will help refine pesticide exposure assessment for future studies and highlight important gaps in the literature, such as our understanding of pesticide degradation in an indoor environment. Full article

In organic agriculture, synthetic pesticides and treatments are substituted by natural remedies with interesting success for product yield and environmental outcomes, but the safety of these bio-based products needs to be assessed in vertebrate and human models. Therefore, in this paper we assessed the safety profile of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) wood distillate (WD) on the different cellular components of tissues implied in transcutaneous absorption. We investigated the viability of different cell lines mimicking the skin (HaCaT keratinocytes), mucosa (A431), connective (normal human dermal fibroblasts, NHDF) and vascular (human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVEC) tissues after exposure to increasing concentrations (0.04–0.5%, v/v, corresponding to 1:2800–1:200 dilutions) of WD. A short exposure to increasing doses of WD was well tolerated up to the highest concentration. Instead, following a prolonged treatment, a concentration dependent cytotoxic effect was observed. Notably, a different behavior was found with the various cell lines, with higher sensitivity to cytotoxicity by the cells with higher proliferation rate and reduced doubling time (human keratinocytes). Moreover, to exclude an inflammatory effect at the not cytotoxic WD concentrations, the expression of the main inducible markers of inflammation, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), were assessed, and no improvement was found both after brief and prolonged exposure. In conclusion, our data exclude any inflammatory and cytotoxic effect at the lowest WD concentrations, namely 0.07% and 0.04%, mimicking some recommended dilutions of the product and the potential exposure doses for the operators in agriculture. Nevertheless, higher concentrations showed a safe profile for short time usage, but caution should be used by farmers following persistent product exposure. Full article

Pesticide operators are often exposed to high levels of contaminants, leading to potential adverse health impacts on these agricultural workers. In tropical regions, pesticide applicators are more vulnerable to dermal exposure than their counterparts in temperate regions. Thus, it is highly desirable to develop new spraying methods to minimize the pesticide exposure level without sacrificing the pest control efficiency. Due to their flexibility, high efficiency, and lower labor intensity, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have attracted considerable attention in precision pest management. However, the pesticide operator exposure assessment during the spraying application with UAVs, especially the comparison with conventional ground sprayers, has not been well investigated. In this work, the control effect against thrips on cowpea and operator exposure determination by aerial and ground spraying in Hainan Province were carried out and compared. When biopesticide spinetoram with the same dosage was applied, the field control efficacy against cowpea thrips sprayed by UAVs was higher than that of knapsack electric sprayers. Moreover, UAV spraying could greatly reduce water consumption and working time. For UAV spraying, when the amounts of water applied per hectare were 22.5, 30, and 37.5 L, the control effects on thrips on the first day were about 69.79%, 80.15%, and 80.58%, respectively. When Allura Red as a pesticide surrogate was applied under similar spraying scenarios with the field control against thrips on cowpea, the average total unit exposure of the knapsack operator (1952.02 mg/kg) was greatly higher than that of the UAV operator (134.51 mg/kg). The present research indicates that plant protection UAV is the direction of development of modern intensive sustainable agriculture. Full article