HairNet2: deep learning to quantify cotton leaf hairiness, a complex genetic and environmental trait.

Background: Cotton accounts for 80% of the global natural fibre production. Its leaf hairiness affects insect resistance, fibre yield, and economic value. However, this phenotype is still qualitatively assessed by visually attributing a Genotype Hairiness Score (GHS) to a leaf/plant, or by using the HairNet deep-learning model which also outputs a GHS.

Frequency and diversity of indoxacarb resistance in Australian Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Annual indoxacarb resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) populations collected from various crops in Australia was monitored between 2013 and 2023. Resistance frequency determined by F2 screening using a predetermined discriminating dose of indoxacarb, was lowest in the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 seasons at 0.0164 and 0.

Using Detached Industrial Hemp Leaf Inoculation Assays to Screen for Varietal Susceptibility and Product Efficacy on .

In greenhouse production, grey mould caused by Pers. is one of the most widespread and damaging diseases affecting medicinal cannabis (MC). Fungicide options to control this disease are extremely limited due to the regulations surrounding fungicides and chemical residues as the product end users are medical patients, often with compromised immune systems.

The Metabolic Profile of Young, Watered Chickpea Plants Can Be Used as a Biomarker to Predict Seed Number under Terminal Drought.

Chickpea is the second-most-cultivated legume globally, with India and Australia being the two largest producers. In both of these locations, the crop is sown on residual summer soil moisture and left to grow on progressively depleting water content, finally maturing under terminal drought conditions. The metabolic profile of plants is commonly, correlatively associated with performance or stress responses, e.

Cotton strip assay detects soil microbial degradation differences among crop rotation and tillage experiments on Vertisols.

The cotton strip assay (CSA) is a simple and inexpensive method of evaluating management effects on soil microbial decomposition. The average loss of tensile strength of cotton strips buried 3 to 35 days in soils from two long-term tillage and crop-rotation experiments was of the order: cotton-wheat rotation > minimum-tillage cotton monoculture > maximum-tillage cotton monoculture. The study suggests CSA can be an effective indicator to delineate microbial activity, soil organic carbon or crop biomass as influenced by agricultural practices in cotton fields.

Drop-off behaviour of Bt-resistant and Bt-susceptible (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae on Bt-cotton and non-Bt cotton plants.

The highest natural mortality rate of larval Lepidoptera in field populations occurs in the first instar, but it is highly variable. The pattern and degree of survival is not easily predicted but depends on their ability to establish on host plants. Lepidopteran larval dispersal behaviour, known as 'drop-off', happens when the host is unsuitable for larvae to settle and begin feeding.

A comparative study of land development patterns and regional thermal environments (RTEs) in typical urban agglomerations of China and America: A case study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) and Boswash.

Currently, most regional thermal environment (RTE) studies in urban agglomerations focus on developing countries, especially China. However, there is still a lack of comparative studies on the RTEs of urban agglomerations between China and other developed countries, such as the United States. This paper used the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) agglomeration in China and Boswash (the highly urbanized area extending from Boston to Washington) in the United States as examples to investigate the differences in land development patterns, RTEs and their relationship between the agglomerations of China and America.

Contrasting responses of above- and belowground diversity to multiple components of land-use intensity.

Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, understanding how different components of land use drive biodiversity loss requires the investigation of multiple trophic levels across spatial scales. Using data from 150 agricultural grasslands in central Europe, we assess the influence of multiple components of local- and landscape-level land use on more than 4,000 above- and belowground taxa, spanning 20 trophic groups.

HearNPV susceptibility in Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa punctigera strains resistant to Bt toxins Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, and Vip3Aa.

Genetically engineered crops expressing insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have improved the management of targeted lepidopteran pests and reduced the use of insecticide sprays. These benefits explain an increasing adoption of Bt crops worldwide, intensifying the selection pressure on target species and the risk of resistance. Nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) are effective bioinsecticides against numerous important lepidopteran pests.

Tail-drain sediments are a potential hotspot for nitrous oxide emissions in furrow-irrigated Vertisols used to grow cotton: A laboratory incubation study.

The impacts of soil properties and urea fertigation on nitrous oxide (N O) emissions from uncropped areas of furrow-irrigated Vertisol paddocks are unknown. We sampled soils from the head-ditch end (upslope) and sediments from the tail-drain end (downslope) of 10 Vertisols under irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production in northeastern Australia.

Storage and initial processing of water samples for organic carbon analysis in runoff.

Runoff monitoring experiments are often conducted in remote sites. Sample collection and dispatch for analysis are often delayed due to sites' remoteness and limited local laboratory facilities. The standard method of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total organic carbon (TOC) analysis in water samples requires storage of the samples at 4 °C after collection and analysis with a minimum of delay.

Relative fitness and stability of resistance in a near-isogenic strain of indoxacarb resistant Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Background: A strain of Helicoverpa armigera with 171-fold resistance to indoxacarb was introgressed with a susceptible strain by serial backcrossing and reselection with indoxacarb resulting in the creation of the near-isogenic GY7-39BC4 strain. Fitness was compared on artificial diet under diapause and non-diapause conditions in resistant, susceptible and F progeny from a reciprocal backcross of the two strains using life history trait analyses. Selection experiments were used to determine stability of resistance.

Effects of elevated temperature and elevated CO on soil nitrification and ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities in field-grown crop.

Rising global air temperature and atmospheric CO are expected to have considerable effects on soil nutrient cycling and plant productivity. Soil nitrification controlled by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA) communities plays a key role in contributing to plant nitrogen (N) availability; however, response of soil nitrification and functional microbial communities to climate change and subsequent consequences for crop yields remain largely unknown. Cotton productivity is a function of temperature and N availability under well-watered conditions.

Does prey encounter and nutrient content affect prey selection in wolf spiders inhabiting Bt cotton fields?

Wolf spiders are abundant and voracious predators at the soil-plant interface in cotton crops. Among other prey, they attack late-instar larvae of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa spp., an economically important pest.

Cold plasma treatment for cotton seed germination improvement.

Adverse environmental conditions at planting, such as cold temperature or water limitation, can lead to a reduced level of seed germination and plant establishment for cotton. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) treatment of cotton seeds prior to planting may help alleviate this problem. CAP is ionised gas that has a range of biological activities due to the formation of a mix of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), excited molecules, charged particles and UV photons.

The Earth's Magnetic Field and Visual Landmarks Steer Migratory Flight Behavior in the Nocturnal Australian Bogong Moth.

Like many birds [1], numerous species of nocturnal moths undertake spectacular long-distance migrations at night [2]. Each spring, billions of Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) escape hot conditions in different regions of southeast Australia by making a highly directed migration of over 1,000 km to a limited number of cool caves in the Australian Alps, historically used for aestivating over the summer [3, 4]. How moths determine the direction of inherited migratory trajectories at night and locate their destination (i.

Analysis of cross-resistance to Vip3 proteins in eight insect colonies, from four insect species, selected for resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins.

Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3 proteins are synthesized and secreted during the vegetative growth phase. They are activated by gut proteases, recognize and bind to midgut receptors, form pores and lyse cells. We tested the susceptibility to Vip3Aa and Vip3Ca of Cry1A-, Cry2A-, Dipel- and Vip3-resistant insect colonies from different species to determine whether resistance to other insecticidal proteins confers cross-resistance to Vip3 proteins.

Comparison of soil analytical methods for estimating wheat potassium fertilizer requirements in response to contrasting plant K demand in the glasshouse.

The traditional soil potassium (K) testing methods fail to accurately predict K requirement by plants. The Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) method is promising, but the relationship between the DGT-measured K pool and plant available K is not clear. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.

The Use of F2 Screening for Detection of Resistance to Emamectin Benzoate, Chlorantraniliprole, and Indoxacarb in Australian Populations of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The ability to effectively detect changes in susceptibility to insecticides is an integral component of resistance management strategies and is highly dependent upon precision of methods deployed. Between 2013 and 2016, F2 screens were performed for detection of resistance alleles in Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) to emamectin benzoate, chlorantraniliprole, and indoxacarb in major cropping regions of eastern Australia. Resistance to emamectin benzoate was not detected.

Oviposition site selection and survival of susceptible and resistant larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Bt and non-Bt cotton.

In Australia Bt cotton has been planted since 1996, and has greatly improved the control of its key target Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). There is no strong evidence that genetically modified cotton has been selected for significant physiological resistance to Bt toxin in field populations. There are many possible explanations for the lack of apparent selection that range from high compliance with the resistance management strategy for this technology to a lack of behavioral preference in key traits such as oviposition that could favor survival.

Genetics, cross-resistance and synergism of indoxacarb resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Background: The cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera is a global pest of field and horticultural crops and has developed resistance to insecticides from many chemical classes. Indoxacarb is an important option for selective control of H. armigera in a range of crops that play host to this species.

Effect of sugarcane cropping systems on herbicide losses in surface runoff.

Herbicide runoff from cropping fields has been identified as a threat to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. A field investigation was carried out to monitor the changes in runoff water quality resulting from four different sugarcane cropping systems that included different herbicides and contrasting tillage and trash management practices. These include (i) Conventional - Tillage (beds and inter-rows) with residual herbicides used; (ii) Improved - only the beds were tilled (zonal) with reduced residual herbicides used; (iii) Aspirational - minimum tillage (one pass of a single tine ripper before planting) with trash mulch, no residual herbicides and a legume intercrop after cane establishment; and (iv) New Farming System (NFS) - minimum tillage as in Aspirational practice with a grain legume rotation and a combination of residual and knockdown herbicides.

Insect Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry2Ab Is Conferred by Mutations in an ABC Transporter Subfamily A Protein.

The use of conventional chemical insecticides and bacterial toxins to control lepidopteran pests of global agriculture has imposed significant selection pressure leading to the rapid evolution of insecticide resistance. Transgenic crops (e.g.