A method of computing the effectiveness of an insecticide
TL;DR: In order to make experimental studies comparable and statistically meaningful, the article recommends the following formula: per cent control = 100(X - Y)/X, which eliminates errors due to deaths in the control sample which were not due to the insecticide.
Abstract: There are several statistical methods used in biology (entomology) for computing the effectiveness of an insecticide, based on relating the number of dead insects in the treated plat to the number of live ones in the untreated plat. In order to make experimental studies comparable and statistically meaningful, the article recommends the following formula: per cent control = 100(X - Y)/X, where X = % living in the untreated check sample and Y = % living in the treated sample. Calculation using this method eliminates errors due to deaths in the control sample which were not due to the insecticide. An example based on treatments of San Jose scale includes computation of probable errors for X and Y, and the significance of the difference between the two counts. Common biometric convention holds that when the difference between the results of two experiments is greater than three times its probable error, the results are significant and due to the treatment applied.
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TL;DR: The structure of an insect control protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis var.
Abstract: The structure of an insect control protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD–1 was determined, and truncated forms of the gene that express a functional insecticidal protein were generated. Two of these truncated genes were incorporated into a plant expression vector for Agrobacterium–mediated transformation. Transgenic tomato plants containing the chimeric genes express the insect control protein gene. Such expression confers tolerance to lepidopteran larvae on the transgenic tomato plants and their progeny. These engineered tomato plants represent a significant step to increased selectivity, specificity and efficiency in insect control.
574 citations
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the role of agriculture and fishing in the European level in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and show that agriculture dominates in terms of direct contribution to GDP and numbers of people engaged in it, as well as accounting for the largest amount of public support expenditure.
Abstract: Agriculture and fishing are the primary source of almost all our food, as well as of many other products, so remain vital activities even though their share in the economy is small and in continuous decline. Partly for this reason public policy in these areas is almost entirely integrated at European level in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Forestry policies are also heavily affected by EU-level decision-making. As agriculture dominates in terms of direct contribution to GDP and numbers of people engaged in it, as well as accounting for the largest amount of public support expenditure, it is agriculture that will receive the greatest attention here.
468 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate a scientific rationale for the use of this plant in grain protection by local communities in the western highlands of Cameroon and inhibit F1 progeny production and adult emergence of the tested insects.
462 citations
TL;DR: Methods to analyse confounded, polytomous and interacting risk factors are proposed and it shown that there is a simple relationship between two distinct estimators previously suggested for use with deleterious and beneficial (or preventive) factors.
Abstract: Various measures of attributable risk are discussed together with a rationale for their use as an alternative to relative risk in health research. Methods of estimation are presented for use with three important kinds of epidemiological study design with one dichotomous risk factor for a dichotomous disease outcome; the study designs are then compared with respect to efficiency. Procedures to analyse confounded, polytomous and interacting risk factors are proposed and it shown that there is a simple relationship between two distinct estimators previously suggested for use with deleterious and beneficial (or preventive) factors. Finally the relevance of attributable risk to an assessment of the potential effects of risk factor modification is discussed in the preventive medicine framework.
430 citations
TL;DR: Oral acute and chronic toxicity of imidacloprid and its main metabolites and their main metabolites were investigated in Apis mellifera to study the rapid appearance of neurotoxicity symptoms and bee mortality induced only 72 h after the onset of intoxication.
Abstract: Imidacloprid is a systemic nitroguanidine insecticide that belongs to the neonicotinoid family. As an agonist of the acetylcholine receptor, it attacks the insect nervous system and is extremely effective against various sucking and mining pests. Oral acute and chronic toxicity of imidacloprid and its main metabolites (5-hydroxyimidacloprid, 4,5-dihydroxyimidacloprid, desnitroimidacloprid, 6-chloronicotinic acid, olefin, and urea derivative) were investigated in Apis mellifera. Acute intoxication by imidacloprid or its metabolites resulted in the rapid appearance of neurotoxicity symptoms, such as hyperresponsiveness, hyper- activity, and trembling and led to hyporesponsiveness and hypoactivity. For acute toxicity tests, bees were treated with doses of toxic compounds ranging from 1 to 1,000 ng/bee (10-10,000 mg/kg). Acute toxicity (LD50) values of imidacloprid were about 60 ng/bee (600 mg/kg) at 48 h and about 40 ng/bee (400 mg/kg) at 72 and 96 h. Out of the six imidacloprid metabolites tested, only two (5-hydroxyimidacloprid and olefin) exhibited a toxicity close to that of imidacloprid. Olefin LD50 values were lower than those of imidacloprid. The 5-hydroxyimidacloprid showed a lower toxicity than imidacloprid with a LD50 four to six times higher than that of imidacloprid. Urea also appeared as a compound of nonnegligible toxicity by eliciting close to 40% mortality at 1,000 ng/bee (10,000 mg/kg). However, no significant toxicity was observed with 4,5-dihydroxyimidacloprid, 6-chloronicotinic acid, and desnitroimidacloprid in the range of doses tested. To test chronic toxicity, worker bees were fed sucrose solutions containing 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/L of imidacloprid and its metabolites for 10 d. Fifty percent mortality was reached at approximately 8 d. Hence, considering that sucrose syrup was consumed at the mean rate of 12 ml/d and per bee, after an 8-d period the cumulated doses were approximately 0.01, 0.1, and 1 ng/bee (0.1, 1, and 10 mg/kg). Thus, all tested compounds were toxic at doses 30 to 3,000 (olefin), 60 to 6,000 (imidacloprid), 200 to 20,000 (5-OH-imidacloprid), and .1,000 to 100,000 (remaining metabolites) times lower than those required to produce the same effect in acute intoxication studies. For all products tested, bee mortality was induced only 72 h after the onset of intoxication.
419 citations
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