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Climate change and the withdrawal of several classes of agrochemicals from use are intensifying the challenges faced by food producers in controlling pests in crop systems. Integrated pest management (IPM), which uses a combination of pest control approaches, is therefore a focus in international initiatives to improve the resilience of food production. Integrating the greater use of trees and shrubs on farms within IPM frameworks offers a biodiversity‐positive contribution to crop protection. For example, trees can modulate the prevalence and impacts of agricultural pests and their natural antagonists through direct and indirect interactions. The beneficial impact of farmland trees and shrubs on pest management in arable or grassland fields can be enhanced from an analysis of variables such as tree species and their spatial distribution on farms, insect‐plant dynamics, population behaviours and soil management practices. The aim of this study is to synthesise existing knowledge and to assess the benefits and trade‐offs between farmland trees and IPM strategies, building on gaps in knowledge identified by a stakeholder survey. Through this targeted review, we delineate the future evidence required to define and quantify the advantages that farmland trees offer as an element of IPM strategies. Practical implication. The development of regional biodiversity monitoring tools, which integrate landscape features such as trees, shows promise for shaping national policies to increase the adoption of IPM. There is a demand for user‐friendly on‐farm tools, adaptable to changing crop and pest priorities, that can support the alignment of the management of farm trees with IPM. However, basic and applied biological and ecological research are needed to inform and validate these decision‐support tools and the capability to inform landscape‐scale models. Conceptual figure representing the three topics assessed in this review. Components include the crops, invertebrates, and trees and their arrangements. Interactions refer to the dynamic relationships between these components and management interventions. Opportunities include the measuring, promotion, better use of resources, research and demonstration and initiatives.

Observational studies on foliage avoidance by the polyphagous thrips species Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) and Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis (Bouché) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) identified six non-host species ( Allagopappus dichotomus (Asteraceae), Gardenia posoquerioides (Rubiaceae), Plectranthus aff. barbatus , Plectranthus strigosus , Plectranthus zuluensis (Lamiaceae), and Sclerochiton harveyanus (Acanthaceae) among plants growing within a major glasshouse botanical collection. The effects of sequentially obtained acetone and aqueous methanol leaf extracts on mortality in first instar Frankliniella occidentalis were assessed. The acetone leaf extract of Sclerochiton harveyanus, which had the highest activity against the thrips, yielded four new iridoids, sclerochitonosides A–C, and sclerochitonoside B 4′-methyl ether. Mortality of F. occidentalis was increased on exposure to all four iridoids, and the most active iridoid was sclerochitonoside A (8-epiloganic acid 4′-hydroxyphenylethyl ester). Choice experiments demonstrated that this compound did not significantly deter H. haemorrhoidalis from treated leaf surfaces. The significance of iridoids in the defense mechanism of plants against thrips is discussed.

The concept of flower-feeding thrips as pollinating insects in temperate regions is rarely considered as they are more frequently regarded to be destructive florivores feeding on pollen and surrounding plant tissue. Combining laboratory and field-based studies we examined interactions between Sambucus nigra (elderflower) and Thrips major within their native range to ascertain the role of thrips in the pollination of this species and to determine if floral chemicals mediated flower visits. If thrips provide a pollination service to S. nigra, then this will likely manifest in traits that attract the pollinating taxa at temporally critical points in floral development. T. major were highly abundant in inflorescences of S. nigra, entering flowers when stigmas were pollen-receptive and anthers were immature. When thrips were excluded from the inflorescences, fruit-set failed. Linalool was the major component of the inflorescence headspace with peak abundance coinciding with the highest number of adult thrips visiting flowers. Thrips were absent in buds and their numbers declined again in senescing flowers inversely correlating with the concentration of cyanogenic glycosides recorded in the floral tissue. Our data show that S. nigra floral chemistry mediates the behaviour of pollen-feeding thrips by attracting adults in high numbers to the flowers at pre-anthesis stage, while producing deterrent compounds prior to fruit development. Taking an integrative approach to studying thrips behaviour and floral biology we provide a new insight into the previously ambiguously defined pollination strategies of S. nigra and provide evidence suggesting that the relationship between T. major and S. nigra is mutualistic.

A novel tobamovirus, brugmansia latent virus (BrLV), was discovered during a study of brugmansia (Brugmansia spp.) in the living collections held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of BrLV, which is 6,397 nucleotides long and contains the four open reading frames (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, methyltransferase/helicase, movement, and coat proteins) typical of tobamoviruses. The complete genome sequence of BrLV shares 69.7% nucleotide sequence identity with brugmansia mild mottle virus (BrMMV) and 66.7 to 68.7% identity with other tobamoviruses naturally infecting members of the Solanaceae plant family. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequences of the four tobamovirus proteins place BrLV in a subcluster with BrMMV within the Solanaceae-infecting tobamovirus subgroup as a new species.

Levels of soluble protein and carbohydrate (raffinose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) in leaves from a selection of plant species were measured to determine if a relationship existed between these nutrients and infestation by Frankliniella occidentalis and Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis. Most species of host plant examined contained a higher proportion of protein than carbohydrates, and overall, leaves from species of plants that supported populations of thrips had greater levels of protein than leaves from nonhost species. New leaves and flowers that supported F. occidentalis contained high levels of carbohydrate and protein. The quantity of protein in leaves at the top of the tree, Peumus boldus, was greater than in leaves from lower levels, and the amount of feeding damage accrued by H. haemorrhoidalis was greater on the upper foliage than lower foliage. Oviposition by H. haenmorrhoidalis was positively correlated to levels of protein in host plants but not to levels of carbohydrates. Overall, levels of soluble protein in plants influenced their susceptibility to thrips more than levels of carbohydrates.

1. Climate change and the withdrawal of several classes of agrochemicals from use are intensifying the challenges faced by food producers in controlling pests in crop systems. Integrated pest management (IPM), which uses a combination of pest control approaches, is therefore a focus in international initiatives to improve the resilience of food production. 2. Integrating the greater use of trees and shrubs on farms within IPM frameworks offers a biodiversity-positive contribution to crop protection. For example, trees can modulate the prevalence and impacts of agricultural pests and their natural antagonists through direct and indirect interactions. The beneficial impact of farmland trees and shrubs on pest management in arable or grassland fields can be enhanced from an analysis of variables such as tree species and their spatial distribution on farms, insect-plant dynamics, population behaviours and soil management practices. 3. The aim of this study is to synthesise existing knowledge and to assess the benefits and trade-offs between farmland trees and IPM strategies, building on gaps in knowledge identified by a stakeholder survey. Through this targeted review, we delineate the future evidence required to define and quantify the advantages that farmland trees offer as an element of IPM strategies. 4. Practical implication. The development of regional biodiversity monitoring tools, which integrate landscape features such as trees, shows promise for shaping national policies to increase the adoption of IPM. There is a demand for userfriendly on-farm tools, adaptable to changing crop and pest priorities, that can support the alignment of the management of farm trees with IPM. However, basic and applied biological and ecological research are needed to inform and validate these decision-support tools and the capability to inform landscape-scale models

Patients with cancer are purported to have poor COVID-19 outcomes. However, cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases, encompassing a spectrum of tumour subtypes. The aim of this study was to investigate COVID-19 risk according to tumour subtype and patient demographics in patients with cancer in the UK. We compared adult patients with cancer enrolled in the UK Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project (UKCCMP) cohort between March 18 and May 8, 2020, with a parallel non-COVID-19 UK cancer control population from the UK Office for National Statistics (2017 data). The primary outcome of the study was the effect of primary tumour subtype, age, and sex and on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) prevalence and the case–fatality rate during hospital admission. We analysed the effect of tumour subtype and patient demographics (age and sex) on prevalence and mortality from COVID-19 using univariable and multivariable models. 319 (30·6%) of 1044 patients in the UKCCMP cohort died, 295 (92·5%) of whom had a cause of death recorded as due to COVID-19. The all-cause case–fatality rate in patients with cancer after SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly associated with increasing age, rising from 0·10 in patients aged 40–49 years to 0·48 in those aged 80 years and older. Patients with haematological malignancies (leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma) had a more severe COVID-19 trajectory compared with patients with solid organ tumours (odds ratio [OR] 1·57, 95% CI 1·15–2·15; p<0·0043). Compared with the rest of the UKCCMP cohort, patients with leukaemia showed a significantly increased case–fatality rate (2·25, 1·13–4·57; p=0·023). After correction for age and sex, patients with haematological malignancies who had recent chemotherapy had an increased risk of death during COVID-19-associated hospital admission (OR 2·09, 95% CI 1·09–4·08; p=0·028). Patients with cancer with different tumour types have differing susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 phenotypes. We generated individualised risk tables for patients with cancer, considering age, sex, and tumour subtype. Our results could be useful to assist physicians in informed risk–benefit discussions to explain COVID-19 risk and enable an evidenced-based approach to national social isolation policies. University of Birmingham and University of Oxford.

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was initially managed by non-pharmaceutical interventions such as diagnostic testing, isolation of positive cases, physical distancing and lockdowns. The advent of vaccines has provided crucial protection against SARS-CoV-2. Neutralising antibody (nAb) responses are a key correlate of protection, and therefore measuring nAb responses is essential for monitoring vaccine efficacy. Fingerstick dried blood spots (DBS) are ideal for use in large-scale sero-surveillance because they are inexpensive, offer the option of self-collection and can be transported and stored at ambient temperatures. Such advantages also make DBS appealing to use in resource-limited settings and in potential future pandemics. In this study, nAb responses in sera, venous blood and fingerstick blood stored on filter paper were measured. Samples were collected from SARS-CoV-2 acutely infected individuals, SARS-CoV-2 convalescent individuals and SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals. Good agreement was observed between the nAb responses measured in eluted DBS and paired sera. Stability of nAb responses was also observed in sera stored on filter paper at room temperature for 28 days. Overall, this study provides support for the use of filter paper as a viable sample collection method to study nAb responses.

Large cohorts of patients with active cancers and COVID-19 infection are needed to provide evidence of the association of recent cancer treatment and cancer type with COVID-19 mortality. To evaluate whether systemic anticancer treatments (SACTs), tumor subtypes, patient demographic characteristics (age and sex), and comorbidities are associated with COVID-19 mortality. The UK Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project (UKCCMP) is a prospective cohort study conducted at 69 UK cancer hospitals among adult patients (≥18 years) with an active cancer and a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19. Patients registered from March 18 to August 1, 2020, were included in this analysis. SACT, tumor subtype, patient demographic characteristics (eg, age, sex, body mass index, race and ethnicity, smoking history), and comorbidities were investigated. The primary end point was all-cause mortality within the primary hospitalization. Overall, 2515 of 2786 patients registered during the study period were included; 1464 (58%) were men; and the median (IQR) age was 72 (62-80) years. The mortality rate was 38% (966 patients). The data suggest an association between higher mortality in patients with hematological malignant neoplasms irrespective of recent SACT, particularly in those with acute leukemias or myelodysplastic syndrome (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.30-3.60) and myeloma or plasmacytoma (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.04-2.26). Lung cancer was also significantly associated with higher COVID-19-related mortality (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.11-2.25). No association between higher mortality and receiving chemotherapy in the 4 weeks before COVID-19 diagnosis was observed after correcting for the crucial confounders of age, sex, and comorbidities. An association between lower mortality and receiving immunotherapy in the 4 weeks before COVID-19 diagnosis was observed (immunotherapy vs no cancer therapy: OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.31-0.86). The findings of this study of patients with active cancer suggest that recent SACT is not associated with inferior outcomes from COVID-19 infection. This has relevance for the care of patients with cancer requiring treatment, particularly in countries experiencing an increase in COVID-19 case numbers. Important differences in outcomes among patients with hematological and lung cancers were observed.