Latest news from May & June...

Following on from our last update in April 2010, please see below the latest news from the Eurofins Agroscience Services Group.  We've got lots to report in this update including news on a new vine station in France and the global bed bug outbreak...

2010 Potato Blight Demonstration - EAS Ltd, UK

The Eurofins Agroscience Services potato demonstration event has been running for over 10 years now and has grown in popularity - it is now considered to be one of the premier events in the potato calendar in the UK, attracting visitors from all over the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

This year, the potato demonstration site will be located at Barrow on Trent, Derbyshire, UK. The event is expected to be staged towards the end of August, however, the date will be finalised in early August. We look forward to welcoming back our existing clients who will all be demonstrating their potato blight portfolio’s to the potato industry, and all visitors.

Basis points will again be awarded for the event, details can be found at the information tent, and catering will be available as usual.

For the 2010 event, we have close to 1000 plots on this site dedicated to potato blight evaluation of which approximately 70% are available for demonstration this year. Overall as a company in the 2010 season, Eurofins Agroscience Services will be conducting over 1800 blight plots in the UK, serving 16 different clients.
Eurofins Agroscience Services can offer irrigated/inoculated and natural infection potato blight trials in Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Finally – don’t forget to bring your business cards along! Following the success of last year’s Champagne Prize Draw, we’ll be repeating it in 2010.

For more information on our potato blight trials, please contact Dr. Owen Scrimshaw; owen.scrimshaw@eurofinsagro.com

Global Bed Bug ‘Outbreak’ – EAS Group Biocide Services

Recently, pest news around the globe along with the bed bug symposium from the 2010 National Conference on Urban Entomology (Portland, OR) has focused on the fact that bed bug infestations are now as big a problem in Europe and other parts of the world as in the USA:

• In Europe, some tourists have filed law suits against hotels with bed bug infestations
• In Australia, pest control operators are reporting rises of more than 1,000 per cent in the number of bed bug treatments they are conducting in last 4 years

There is no doubt that outbreaks are on the increase.

Eurofins Agroscience Services offers efficacy testing on a broad spectrum of bed bug control and monitoring products. With well established susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant bed bug colonies in house, we are able to use all growth stages of bed bugs to determine adulticidal, ovicidal, repellent and attractant activities in a laboratory setting. Two dedicated rooms offer semi-field arena studies on monitors, repellents and attractants.

After decades of decline, bed bugs began to re-emerge in the 90’s as a pest in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, and many EU countries. Global warming, a lack of public awareness, and ‘hitch hiking’ on unsuspecting tourists are all potential reasons for this re-emergence. Whatever the cause, this insect is moving very efficiently from one location to another and this has facilitated their rapid dispersal across the globe

Eurofins Agroscience Services also offers lab and field product efficacy testing on a broad range of biocidal products, including public health, animal health, structural, home and garden, turf and ornamental pests.

For more information on our biocide product portfolio, please contact our Biocides Specialist Jing Zhai; jing.zhai@eurofinsagro.com  

New Vine Station - EAS Sarl

EAS Sarl are pleased to announce the acquisition of a new vine station in France. Based in Saint Nicolas de la Grave (Tarn et Garonne), the new facility will service the south west region of France. This dedicated vine station is well established and provides access to more than forty vine varieties over 1 ha, offering great opportunity for efficacy trials, screening trials and GLP trials.,

In France, the EAS Group can offer coverage of the south west of France, the Val de Loire region, Bourgogne and Beaujolais area and the Alsace region. In addition, all the major vine growing regions of Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal are covered by local stations and resource. In the USA, we can cover all the major grape growing areas of California, Oregon, Washington, and the north eastern US (New York and Pennsylvania).

Studies conducted on grapes have included Field Residue, Efficacy, Dislodgeable Foliar Residue, Soil Dissipation, Radio-labeled Metabolism, and Worker Exposure. Other than weed studies, in California we have performed insect studies including omnivorous leaf roller, leaf hopper, grape leaf skeletonizer, as well as diseases including botrytis and powdery mildew. When grown in light soils, grapes offer opportunity for nematode studies also.

For more information on vine capabilities, please contact Lou Williams; lou.williams@eurofinsagro.com in the first instance.

Pesticides and Biotech Conference - Eurofins do Brasil

If you are based out of South America, you may be interested to know that Eurofins will hold a one day conference in Indaiatuba, Brazil focusing on Biotechnology and Pesticides on July 16, 2010. This follows a successful event on June 15. For more information, please click on the following link .br/upload/arquivos/programacao.pdf or email the local contact Juliana Brochini Sacilotti Qualidade at julianasacilotti@eurofins.com.br  

Adding to the Portfolio – EAS Group Processing Services

To guarantee short periods between milling and the subsequent tests for flour related quality parameters, the EAS Group has added all the necessary equipment to its portfolio. In brief, this includes:

• Amylograph for determination of enzymes activity in flours (bread volume)
• Farinograph for determination of the water binding capacity of flours and dough quality
• Extensograph for determination rheological dough parameters as extensibility
• Glutomatic for determination of the wet gluten content
• Mill and further equipment for determination of the falling number, evaluation flours properties in its gelatinization
• Special mill with reduced energy input for the subsequent determination of cereals moisture content
• Equipment for measurement of the Zeleny-Index

And finally, we purchased equipment to enhance any liquid-solid separation, e.g. for olive oil, juices, beer and any other separation process.

For more information on our processing services, please contact André Oetjen; andre.oetjen@eurofins-gab.com