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The 2010 Annual Report on projects and activities undertaken by staff based at our Swiss Centre, is out now. Their work covers a range of activities including integrated crop management and biocontrol and staff work in a number of countries around the world - from North America through to Asia. Do take this opportunity to browse the report or you can download it by clicking here.
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Our Centre in Switzerland's numbers grow every summer as it becomes home to a group of foreign students, furthering their studies in Entomology and Biology. Danielle Fife has written about her experiences at CABI this summer on her visit from Canada. Click here to read her story.
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Wasp all set to protect Canada’s lilies
The Canadian government has approved the release of a parasitic wasp (Tetrastichus setifer) to control the country’s problematic pest – the lily leaf beetle. After extensive research and testing, CABI scientists, along with collaborators at Carleton University, the University of Rhode Island, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), submitted a petition for release to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in November 2009. Approval was granted in January 2010 and release is planned for Spring 2010, after which a post-release monitoring project will be implemented. Read the full story in the March edition of Biocontrol News & Information
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Diadromus pulchellus female
parasitising a leek moth pupa
inside its cocoon |
After more than five years of field and laboratory research, the Canadian government has approved the release of a parasitic wasp to help control the damaging leek moth
Leek moths damage garlic, leek and onion crops on a large scale, affecting Canada’s agricultural economy. The parasitic wasp called Diadromus pulchellus attacks and kills the leek moth pupae, reducing the infestations. During 2010, a single test release will be conducted to assess agent establishment and overwintering, and baseline data will be collected at additional sites for releases planned for 2011. The project is being run by a consortium of scientists from CABI Europe-Switzerland, Carleton University and Agriculture and Agri-Food. Read more about this project in the December 2009 edition of Biocontrol News & Information
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Ambrosia workshop in Delémont, Switzerland
We recently held a one-day workshop in Delémont, Switzerland where experts discussed the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia (or common ragweed).
Click here to find out more about this conference, and to access presentations and posters.
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Biological control is the use of natural enemies (parasitoids, predators, diseases and herbivores) to control these pests and weeds. Many of the most damaging pests and weeds are alien species that have been accidentally introduced through trade and travel. Alien pests often spread without their natural enemies, which normally keep them in check in their region of origin. Therefore, much of the centre’s work has been based on so-called classical biological control, i.e. the control of introduced pests in one area by the introduction of natural enemies from the pest’s area of origin. Naturally, this approach depends upon a careful study and evaluation of the risks before any natural enemy can be introduced, and this is a major focus of the centre’s work.
Our centre’s research also contributes to assessing the risks and impacts of invasive alien insects. We are developing inventories of invasive alien insects and establishing black lists of alien animal species that require particular attention and regulation, due to their current or potential environmental impact. By doing this the Centre contributes in the development of regional and national strategies on prevention and management of invasive species in Europe.
In order to support a better understanding of how we can conserve biodiversity, our centre’s research places emphasis on assessing multi-trophic interactions below and above-ground as well as nutrient cycling in the context of biological invasions, land-use change and climate change. In the context of climate change we are studying interactions between global warming and biological invasions and assessing the possible impacts of climate change on agricultural production and ecosystems through their effect on pests and insect-plant interactions.
In an effort to tackle environmental issues, alleviate poverty and enable food security, there is a strong global movement towards agricultural development. Furthermore, market globalization and growing consumer concerns about food safety and environmental health requires the adoption of good agricultural practices (GAP) to raise standards of food production. Our integrated crop management (ICM) team provides technical support and facilitates activities that improve agricultural practices, for example, supporting the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) in order to reduce unnecessary use of pesticides.
To find out more about our staff and what we do, please use the links on the left.