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Health Canada Deems Seed Treatment Safe For Bees

Health Canada has announced its decision on three neonicotinoid pesticides saying yes to some uses and no to others.

The Department says seed treatment is not expected to pose unacceptable risks to bees and pollinators, and will still be allowed.

However, they say they're phasing in some cancellations and conditions of other uses of the pesticides, where Health Canada Director General of Environmental Assessment, Scott Kirby, says there are alternatives available for the most part.

Health Canada says they did extensive research and review of the three neonics clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam in relation to their potential impact on bees and other pollinators.

Kirby says they're still evaluating the potential risk neonics pose to aquatic insects, and there's possibility for further cancellations.

The department expects to report these findings at the end of the year.

Source : Discoverairdrie

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Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.