The use of antibiotics is not permitted in Switzerland; moreover, no other medication exists to combat European foul brood. Hives with symptoms must therefore be destroyed in order to limit the outbreak, and the contaminated material must be sanitised. Since prevention is the best cure, early detection is desirable. Numerous studies have been undertaken and documents have been created at the Swiss Bee Research Centre and elsewhere to draw the attention of beekeepers to these problems and inform them about the causes and the control measures to be implemented.
Salomon M. J., Watts-Williams S. J., McLaughlin M. J., Bücking H., Singh B. K., Hutter I., Schneider C., Martin F. M., Vosatka M., Liangdong G., Ezawa T., Saito M., Declerck S., Yong-Guan Z., Bowles T., Abbot L. K., Smith F. A., Cavagnaro T. R., van der Heijden M.
Establishing a quality management framework for commercial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
Microbial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are potential tools in increasing the sustainability of our food production systems.Given the demand for sustainable agriculture, the production of such inoculants has potential economic value and has resulted in a variety of commercial inoculants currently being advertised. However, their use is limited by inconsistent product efficacy and lack of consumer confidence. Here, we propose a framework that can be used to assess the quality and reliability ofAMinoculants. First,we set out a range of basicquality criteria which are required to achieve reliable inoculants. This is followed by a standardized bioassaywhich can be used to test inoculum viability and efficacy under controlled conditions. Implementation of these measurements would contribute to the adoption of AM inoculants by producers with the potential to increase sustainability in food production systems.
