Post on 05-Jan-2016
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
The Research TeamImperial College, London: Alastair Bailey, Iain Fraser, Matt Thomas, Abhijit Sharma, Marco Bertaglia & Georgianne Griffiths
Rothamstead Research: John Pickett, Wilf Powell, Lester Wadhams & Toby Bruce.
The Game Conservancy Trust: John Holland, Barbara Smith & Heather Oaten.
RELU: Re-bugging the System - Promoting Adoption of Alternative Pest Management Strategies in Field Crop Systems.
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Overarching Research Objectives
• Understand why ‘biocontrol’ has not seen extensive commercial adoption in UK cereal farming– problem with the ‘science’? or– problem with ‘economics’?
• Use “Habitat Manipulation” & “Semiochemicals” as examples of alternative technologies.
• Investigate both potential technical & economic failure by – scaling the science – integrating the science (technologies) and – understanding the economic decision to adopt.
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Economics – a market failure?• Adoption decision process dominated by private
cost/benefit considerations. BUT social cost/benefits likely to be significant.
• The problem is really a technology replacement decision where the incumbent technology is effective, well understood and economic to the decision maker.
• New technology has uncertain efficacy, is not well understood because it has received far less research effort and may not be economic for the early adopter.
• Chemical technology may be ‘locked-in’ on a ‘path dependent’ course.
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Ecology – understanding biocontrol
• Key questions – what is the impact of:– Agricultural intensity on
biodiversity?– Farmland biodiversity on
pest control function?– Natural enemy diversity
and pest control function?
Communitycomposition
Pest-controlFunction
Agriculturalmanagement? ?
Pest
con
trol
Decreasing species richness0
max
incr
easin
g
redu
ndan
cy
Perfect complementarity
Pest
con
trol
Decreasing species richness0
max
incr
easin
g
redu
ndan
cy
Perfect complementarity
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Rove beetles SpidersGround beetles
Generalist predators
Aphid specific predatorsHoverflies
Lacewings Ladybirds
Parasitic wasps
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Biochemical Ecology - Semiochemicals
HABITAT MANAGEMENT coupled with BEHAVIOUR MANIPULATION
can help prevent some pests from reaching damage levels
Non-crop habitats provide resources for beneficial insect species
Semiochemicals influence spatial distribution of pest & beneficial insects
O
O
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Semio –Parasitoids are key natural enemies of aphids that are ‘attracted’ by aphid sex pheromone
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100
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20-Jun
27-Jun
04-Jul
11-Jul
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Cum
ulat
ive
Aph
id N
umbe
rs (
75 T
ille
rs)
Control Pheromone
Effect of aphid sex pheromone on cereal aphid populations in a commercial winter wheat field (3D Farming LINK Project)
Pheromone impact period
Aphid load reduced by half
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Semio- Plant Defence Systems
• Pest damage induces release of volatile distress signals which attract parasitoids and repel further pests.
• cis-jasmone (derived from from linolenic acid) activates plant defence systems.
• Effect plant to plant communication.
• Activation differs between cultivars.
Field trials, Cereal aphid counts on Winter Wheat, spring/summer 2000
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10-May 15 22 31 06-Jun 12
* significant differences P <0.05; spray 12 May
mea
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00 t
iller
s/p
lot
Control
cis-jasmone
*
*
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Field Scale Ecology• To evaluate the efficacy and sustainability of both
Habitat Management and Semiochemical Manipulation, in isolation and in combination, as pest control technologies across a range of scales.
• In single fields embedded in landscapes covering four levels of ‘uptake’: 1. Single field with grass strip at the margin only.2. Central field with grass strip surrounded, 1 field deep, by fields
with grass strips. 3. Central field with grass strip surrounded, 2 fields deep, by fields
with grass strips.4. Central field with grass strip surrounded, 3 fields deep, by fields
with grass strips.
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Integrating the understanding from the disciplines• Beyond the continual feedback between
disciplines….
• The key integration of both knowledge and understanding for the different disciplines and research arenas will be a “Bioeconomic” model.
• Includes models of natural ecosystem function and the action of human systems within a dynamic integrated structure including intersystem feedback, with or without equilibrium.
• To ‘proof’ our understanding and to provide a decision support aid for early adopters.
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Policy Design
• Public Policy Design and integration– Pesticide Tax?– Voluntary Agreement?– Integration with 2nd Pillar schemes (Entry Level)– Subsidised Early Adopter/Demonstration Farms?
• Private – Contract Design– Optimal Contracts– Managed Supply Chains– Harness traceability systems
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Global Aims
• Do the appropriate;– science – at the appropriate scales – with the appropriate degree of
interdisciplinary understanding.
• Generate the appropriate results data to influence;– the policy design process– the commercial adoption
decision process.
• Generate benefits across society.
Key audience
• Practitioners – Farmers – Agronomists – Food buyers– Food Marketers
• Policy formers– Public policy makers– Food chain managers
• The wider society– Food consumers– Environmental interests.
• The Research community
Imperial College, London. Re-bugging the System
Visit the Website
• www.imperial.ac.uk/rebug/