Garlic injection could tackle tree diseases

Injecting trees with a concentrated form of garlic might help save trees in the UK from deadly diseases.

Operating under an experimental government licence, a prototype piece of technology to administer the solution is being trialled on a woodland estate in Northamptonshire.

Widespread use of the injection process is impractical and expensive.

But it could potentially help save trees of historic or sentimental value.

Garlic is one of nature's most powerful antibacterial and antifungal agents.

It contains a compound called allicin, which scientists are interested in harnessing.

The experimental injection device is made up of a pressurised chamber and eight "octopus" tubes.

The pressure punches the solution through the tubes and through special injection units in to the tree's sap system. The needles are positioned in a way to get allicin evenly around the tree.

The moment the active agent starts to encounter the disease, it destroys it. The poison is organic and isn't rejected by the tree.

A closer look at how a tree injection works

The treatment could potentially help save trees of historic or sentimental value

It is pulled up the trunk out along the branches and in to the leaves by the process of transpiration - the flow of water through a plant.

Tree consultant Jonathan Cocking is involved with the development and deployment of the treatment.

"Over the last four years we have treated 60 trees suffering badly with bleeding canker of horse chestnut. All of the trees were cured.

This result has been broadly backed up by 350 trees we have treated all over the country where we have had a 95% success rate."

Oak trees with acute oak decline - which eventually kills the tree - have improved after being treated. In laboratory conditions allicin kills the pathogen chalara which is responsible for ash dieback.

The solution is made by a company in Wales. "Organic cloves of garlic are crushed," said Mr Cocking, "and a patented method is used to amplify the volume of allicin and improve the quality of it so it is stable for up to one year. Allicin in the natural world only lasts for about 5-10 minutes.

Operating under an experimental government license, a prototype piece of technology to administer the solution is being trialled on a woodland estate in Northamptonshire.

If you go back to the tree the day after, and crush a leaf that is in the extremity of the crown, you can often smell the garlic."

The goal is to get a commercial licence by the beginning of next year.

According to Prof Stephen Woodward, a tree expert at Aberdeen University: "The antibacterial properties of allicin are well-known in the laboratory. I have not heard of it being used in trees before, but yes this is interesting. It could work."

However Mr Woodward cautioned about such methods of "biological control". "Despite being plant-based that doesn't mean it can't harm an ecosystem. For example cyanide is plant-based."

Many conservationists also caution against such drastic intervention. Dr Anne Edwards from the John Innes Centre was one of the first to identify ash dieback in a coppice wood in Norfolk.

She said that this treatment would not be effective for ash dieback: "In a woodland setting we really have to let nature take its course. It's very depressing," she explained.

The Woodland Trust also favours a different approach. The organization is investing £1.5m in a seed bank. The idea is to grow trees that are fully traceable and therefore free from foreign disease.

Austin Brady, director of conservation and external affairs, said: "Our native woodland needs to build its resilience to disease and pests. By starting from the beginning of the supply chain we can ensure that millions of trees will have the best possible chance of survival in the long term."

In recognition of the threat posed by current and future tree and plant biosecurity, Defra recently appointed a Chief Plant Health Officer, and has earmarked £4 million for research in to treatments.

From BBC News -Sci/Environment

Hairy pigs introduced to restore heathland and attract wildlife

Conservationists have revealed the latest weapon in their fight to preserve and restore threatened heathland in Dorset, England.

Normally it would be an expensive piece of machinery but this time it is something more unusual - a rare breed of hairy pig.

The Mangalitsa pigs will spend a year eating all the rotting plants and wood from the top of the land to get it back to it's natural state.

James Warren is the pig's keeper and told us why they are special.

Heathland in Dorset

The RSPB has recruited the help of some unusual volunteers to help restore heathland and give nature a home on one of its reserves.

For the first time the charity has introduced a herd of six Mangalitsa pigs to ‘pig out’ at its Arne nature reserve, in Dorset, to help restore a seven hectare site back to its natural healthland through wild grazing.

This is the first time that the RSPB has enlisted the help of this breed of pig, a more environmentally friendly option than machinery, to undertake a restoration project on one of its reserves.

Unlike traditional pigs found in the UK, the Mangalitsa pig is unusual as it grows a hairy ‘fleece’ much like a sheep and is the only pig in England to have this distinctive long coat.

The six rare breed pigs will be joined by six Berkshire pigs as they get their snouts stuck into the land at Arne that is covered in bracken and pine needles – six inches deep in places – for around six months.

Mini bulldozers

Once complete the hope is that the ‘mini bulldozers’ will have created a perfect habitat for species like the Dartford warbler, stonechats, smooth snake, nightjar and sand lizard.

Mark Singleton, RSPB Dorset reserves operations manager, said: “This is the first time that the RSPB has used pigs to graze on one of its reserves. It is an experimental project that we hope will produce fantastic results for nature at our Arne reserve.

“Usually we would hire diggers and other machines to remove all of the pine needles from the site but that would have negative impact on the environment. We are hoping these pigs are able to do the same job in a much more environmentally friendly way, and are much more fun.

“Last year’s State of Nature report highlighted that nature in the UK is in trouble, 60% of species have declined in the past 50 years. This project is one of many that the RSPB is carrying out to tackle this problem and try to reverse these declines.”

Imported into the UK in 2006, the Mangalitsa pig can be found making its home in farms, woodland and even on occasions in homes as they are easily house trained.

These pigs aren’t alone in the RSPB’s conservation grazing projects. At RSPB Minsmere, Konik ponies help management of habitats by controlling scrub encroachment, creating a mosaic of different vegetation types. Exmoor ponies are assisting at RSPB Broadwater Warren, while Manx sheep have grazed at many reserves around the UK.

David Burton, senior advisor at Natural England, said: “There are many benefits to conservation grazing. Grazing animals helped shape many of our semi-natural habitats, which developed rich and diverse wildlife communities.

“Our grasslands, meadows, moorland and heathland habitats were all shaped by human activity and grazing is often the most effective and sustainable way to maintain them and their huge variety of plants and wildlife.”

Nested at the base of the Purbeck Hills, RSPB Arne is a peninsular that juts out into Poole harbour. Visitors can enjoy spectacular scenery and beautiful views while marveling at the abundance of wildlife that the heath, woodland and harbour have to offer.

Giving Nature a Home

Giving Nature a Home is the RSPB’s campaign, aimed at tackling the housing crisis facing the UK’s threatened wildlife. The charity is asking people to provide a place for wildlife in their own gardens and outside spaces – whether it by planting pollen-rich plants to attract bees and butterflies, putting up a nestbox for a house sparrow, or creating a pond that will support a number of different species. The charity hopes to inspire people across the UK to create a million new homes for nature.

How you can help

Nature in the UK is in trouble and some of our more familiar garden species are amongst those suffering serious declines. We can all help by giving nature a home where we live.

From BBC newsround and RSPB

http://www.wwww.rspb.org.uk/news/383408-were-using-pig-power-to-give-nature-a-home