What is the cost of soil erosion in Scotland?
Sustainable soil management is a key component of several Scottish Government policies, including the Land Use Strategy, the Climate Change Adaptation Programme, and the Climate Change Plan.
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Protecting water catchments from zoonotic Cryptosporidium parasites
The Cryptosporidium oocysts have a tough outer waxy shell, composed of lipids and glycoproteins that enables the parasite to survive in the environment over a wide temperature range (-220C -600C) for several months. As a result, Cryptosporidium parasites are a real problem for the water industry as the parasite survives extremely well in water and is resistant to chlorination.
Making Green Infrastructure Socially Inclusive: Principles and Challenges
Green Infrastructure consists of interconnected multifunctional green spaces and green features. Components of Green Infrastructure include parks, nature reserves, street trees, streams, sustainable urban drainage systems and green roofs. Proponents of Green Infrastructure are hopeful that its use in planning systems will provide multiple social, economic and ecological benefits to improve the liveability and sustainability of places.
SEFARI Gateway Update - January 2021
Before we discuss our new projects we must express our delight that in November one of the first projects we funded, namely ‘Conserving Genetic Diversity’, won the Innovation category at the Nature of Scotland Awards. This multi collaborative project established a world-first method to help understand and conserve genetic diversity in some of Scotland's most iconic wild species. Congratulations to all.
Liver fluke risk and Agri-environment Schemes: a Tale of Toads, Snails and Wetland Birds
In this case study, we describe field investigations of liver fluke risk to livestock associated with grazing under two different agri-environmental schemes and discuss best practice for conservation grazing and sustainable fluke control.
New crop protection targets to control late blight
Control of plant diseases such as potato late blight relies heavily on the use of crop protection products such as fungicides. New fungicides are constantly needed as older products face pathogen resistance to them, tighter regulation, and the desire for products with improved environmental and toxicological profiles. Consequently, there is a large global market for crop protection chemicals, which was valued at over $55 billion in 2018.
Integrated Pest Management: How widely have these management practices been adopted?
Arable crops like wheat and barley, are frequently under attack from diseases, weeds, insects and slugs. These lead to reductions in yield and affect the profitability of farms and the price of produce. To protect crops there is a heavy reliance on pesticides. We are currently researching ways to maintain crop yields and bring wider environmental benefits in an approach known as integrated pest management (IPM). This is a holistic approach to management which maximizes profitability and minimises any negative impacts on the environment.
Extending reality: Helping farmers experience in-field events virtually
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated our need to use new digital technologies to communicate. Video conferencing has quickly become the preferred communication avenue for colleagues and families – we’ve all become Zoom experts, Teams champions and WebEx authorities. Online forums have refocused to answer questions such as: does Teams have breakout rooms? Where is the WebEx whiteboard? How do you get out of the Zoom waiting room?