International workshop integrated pest management fruit

On 24 – 26 January 2012 an international workshop on integrated pest management in pome fruit will take place in Wageningen.
The work shop is an activity of the European PURE project. Researchers from 11 countries will discuss the design of new innovative integrated pest management solutions in pome fruit. The work shop will deliver a set of IPM tools that will be developed in the next three years.
 

New DNA analysis 1000 x more sensitive

An international team of researchers has developed a new DNA technology which makes it possible to perform reliable analyses on DNA quantities that are a thousand times smaller than was previously the case.
The method can be used, for example, to study small quantities of stem cells, starting tumour tissue, parts of plant and animal tissue, and archaeological samples.

Bees are good informers

Honey-bees can do far more than simply pollinate plants or make honey. The busy creatures also make excellent environmental monitors.
This has been demonstrated by Wageningen UR bee researcher Sjef van der Steen. He used swarms of bees to measure the concentration of metals in Maastricht, Buggenum and Hoek van Holland. It turned out that the bees made excellent informers.

Potential control of blackleg and wet rot in seed potatoes and flower bulbs discovered

The bacterial diseases blackleg and wet rot represent a major challenge to growers of seed potatoes and flower bulbs. They cause substantial economic damage worldwide, including tens of millions of euros in the Netherlands alone.

New e-newsletter Plant Life

With the newsletter Plant Life we present you some of the news on our research and education.
Next to that, we include articles on important scientific developments which are relevant to our research.
» Plant Life, nov 2011
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