Latest news with #GDD
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
Forget the calendar: This method reveals the ideal time to tackle garden pests
I hate to break it to you, but just like your calendar can't tell you the best time to harvest, it won't provide you the perfect date to attack the pests waging war on your plants. Timing effective pest control is all about understanding how the weather affects insect life cycles. We know that most plants and insects emerge in spring , advance through summer, and, in cold regions, go dormant over winter. But beyond those general seasonal cycles, there's no way to predict precisely when, for example, seeds will sprout, garlic will be ready for harvest or pests will be at their most vulnerable. Those developmental stages vary from year to year because they're dependent on the weather. That's where growing degree days come in. GDD is a cumulative system used to determine exactly when plants and insects will reach certain stages of maturity. And with so much variability — with different pests having different life stages that are vulnerable (or resistant) to different control methods at different times — it's a helpful tool for gardeners. The system, introduced by the French entomologist René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur in 1735, is a measurement of heat accumulation that accurately predicts when seeds will germinate , crops will mature and specific pest populations will hatch and reach advancing stages of maturity. The progression of an insect's life cycle, like much of the natural world's biological activity, is dictated by environmental factors like temperature. And because not every life stage will succumb to treatment, weather is the only thing that can truly accurately inform the timing of many control methods. Here's how it works The average daily temperature is typically recorded on March 1, and for each degree over 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), one point is assigned. Then, every day throughout the remainder of the season, the number of degrees over 50 is added to a running tally. If the temperature is exactly at or below 50 degrees, the day is assigned a score of zero. Let's say the temperature was 53 degrees on March 1; the GDD on that day would be 3. If it was 60 on March 2, the GDD would be 3 plus 10, or 13. If the temperature was 49 on March 3, that would add nothing, and the accumulated growing degree days would remain at 13. The tally continues to grow through a regionally specific date in the fall. Seems complicated? The good news is you don't have to crunch the numbers yourself. Your local cooperative extension office likely tailors and tracks this information for your region, and many post the GDD, as well as pest- and plant-specific GDD guidelines, on their websites. In addition, the agricultural company Syngenta offers a handy tool among its GreenCast online resources that quickly generates the GDD for your zip code . What does this mean for your garden? As an example, Colorado potato beetle eggs and pupae are not susceptible to pesticides, so attempting control during those stages would be pointless. But their larvae are vulnerable to the natural biological control Bt from the time they emerge until they reach 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in length. Rather than heading out into the garden with a ruler — or spraying every day and hoping for the best — you can time the application for between 65 and 185 GDD. Similarly, the first generation of euonymus scale insects are most vulnerable to Neem oil and horticultural oil treatments between 400 and 575 GDD. And for pre-emergent crabgrass controls, like corn gluten meal, to be effective, they should be applied just before 200 GDD. That's why I recommend a treatment window that coincides with the time between when the first forsythia blooms and the last of the lilacs fade: It's a visual cue tied to nature's reaction to temperature. Depending on the variety, most tomatoes, which love the heat, are ripe for the picking between 1,000 and 2,000 GDD. But, for the record, my tomatoes always let me know when they're ready. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to .
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Forget the calendar: This method reveals the ideal time to tackle garden pests
I hate to break it to you, but just like your calendar can't tell you the best time to harvest, it won't provide you the perfect date to attack the pests waging war on your plants. Timing effective pest control is all about understanding how the weather affects insect life cycles. We know that most plants and insects emerge in spring, advance through summer, and, in cold regions, go dormant over winter. But beyond those general seasonal cycles, there's no way to predict precisely when, for example, seeds will sprout, garlic will be ready for harvest or pests will be at their most vulnerable. Those developmental stages vary from year to year because they're dependent on the weather. That's where growing degree days come in. GDD is a cumulative system used to determine exactly when plants and insects will reach certain stages of maturity. And with so much variability — with different pests having different life stages that are vulnerable (or resistant) to different control methods at different times — it's a helpful tool for gardeners. The system, introduced by the French entomologist René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur in 1735, is a measurement of heat accumulation that accurately predicts when seeds will germinate, crops will mature and specific pest populations will hatch and reach advancing stages of maturity. The progression of an insect's life cycle, like much of the natural world's biological activity, is dictated by environmental factors like temperature. And because not every life stage will succumb to treatment, weather is the only thing that can truly accurately inform the timing of many control methods. Here's how it works The average daily temperature is typically recorded on March 1, and for each degree over 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), one point is assigned. Then, every day throughout the remainder of the season, the number of degrees over 50 is added to a running tally. If the temperature is exactly at or below 50 degrees, the day is assigned a score of zero. Let's say the temperature was 53 degrees on March 1; the GDD on that day would be 3. If it was 60 on March 2, the GDD would be 3 plus 10, or 13. If the temperature was 49 on March 3, that would add nothing, and the accumulated growing degree days would remain at 13. The tally continues to grow through a regionally specific date in the fall. Seems complicated? The good news is you don't have to crunch the numbers yourself. Your local cooperative extension office likely tailors and tracks this information for your region, and many post the GDD, as well as pest- and plant-specific GDD guidelines, on their websites. In addition, the agricultural company Syngenta offers a handy tool among its GreenCast online resources that quickly generates the GDD for your zip code. What does this mean for your garden? As an example, Colorado potato beetle eggs and pupae are not susceptible to pesticides, so attempting control during those stages would be pointless. But their larvae are vulnerable to the natural biological control Bt from the time they emerge until they reach 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in length. Rather than heading out into the garden with a ruler — or spraying every day and hoping for the best — you can time the application for between 65 and 185 GDD. Similarly, the first generation of euonymus scale insects are most vulnerable to Neem oil and horticultural oil treatments between 400 and 575 GDD. And for pre-emergent crabgrass controls, like corn gluten meal, to be effective, they should be applied just before 200 GDD. That's why I recommend a treatment window that coincides with the time between when the first forsythia blooms and the last of the lilacs fade: It's a visual cue tied to nature's reaction to temperature. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Depending on the variety, most tomatoes, which love the heat, are ripe for the picking between 1,000 and 2,000 GDD. But, for the record, my tomatoes always let me know when they're ready. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
Irish Daily Mirror
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Beleaguered water treatment plant gets green light after seven year delay
A water project that has been the subject of seven years of legal proceedings has finally been given the green light. Uisce Éireann confirmed that planning approval for the Greater Dublin Drainage (GDD) Project in Clonshaugh had been granted by An Coimisiún Pleanála. Its CEO, Niall Gleeson, previously estimated that due to a seven year delay in the project due to judicial reviews to the planning application, the cost had ballooned from €600m to €1.2bn. Uisce Éireann's Infrastructure Delivery Director Maria O'Dwyer described the Greater Dublin Drainage project as a 'key part of Uisce Éireann's investment in new wastewater infrastructure in Greater Dublin' that 'will facilitate housing and growth, protect public health into the future'. She said: 'The Greater Dublin Drainage Project was first submitted for planning in 2018 and since that time, population and economic growth means the volume of wastewater we are producing has continued to grow, so the delivery of this critical infrastructure project is more important than ever. 'Current projections are that the amount of wastewater generated in the Greater Dublin Area including parts of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath will increase by over 50% in the period to 2050. 'The delivery of this essential project on the northside of Dublin in addition to the upgrade to the Ringsend Treatment Plant on the southside of the City (to be complete by the end of this year) will provide the capacity and resilience to support economic and social development for many years to come'. Mr Gleeson criticised the delay of this project during the official opening of the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant in May. He stated: 'I would say that if you took it, the taxpayer and the State, it is probably in the billions [that is being lost]. Private entities are losing a fortune through this kind of stuff as well. 'I know there's a lot of work being done on the planning process and, actually, a lot of the planning process works pretty well with the local authorities and An Bórd Pleanála, 'But it's the ones that are tricky to get through, the larger projects, that I think we need extra support. But that cost is real.'
AsiaOne
28-06-2025
- Health
- AsiaOne
'It was a calling': Teen who grew up with special needs brother hopes to help others like him, Singapore News
Isabelle Lee had a childhood unlike most of her peers. The aspiring speech therapist grew up looking after her younger brother, Emmanuel, who has special needs, becoming the "quiet and dependable child" she believed her family needed at the time. Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (June 26), the 19-year-old described her childhood as "a blend of warmth and complexity". "I grew up in a very loving home, but I also felt that I had to grow up faster than most children my age," she said. Isabelle explained that she felt she had to take on more responsibilities than her peers, such as making sure he completed his homework, ate and drank properly, played safely and felt accompanied. "I had to learn how to manage my own emotions at a young age, be helpful and be good," said the teen. By harnessing her experience as a "glass child", a term which refers to siblings of children with special needs, Isabelle is determined to help others like Emmanuel and herself. She has enrolled for a four-year course in speech and language therapy at the Singapore Institute of Technology starting in September. When asked why she chose to pursue speech therapy over other healthcare or special education-related paths, Isabelle said that the job stood out to her because of the part it played in her and her brother's life. "It touches something very fundamental: the ability to be heard, to be connected and to be understood. For my family, it meant healing and hope. But for me, it was a calling," she said. "It (isn't) just about therapy, but about rebuilding relationships, restoring dignity, and helping every child unlock a potential (only) words can. "I wanted alongside children and families through those hard, beautiful steps towards communication and human connection." She explained that a lot of her family's care, attention and energy was spent on her brother. "His therapy appointments and hospital visits were the centre of my family's life," she said, adding that she sometimes felt unseen, not because anyone meant to ignore her but because "everyone was already doing their best in a very demanding situation". Despite the challenges she faced as a child, Isabelle said that caring for her brother has shaped her in "meaningful and lasting ways". Her experiences taught her patience and empathy, making her attentive to the "silent struggles" others might carry, as well as quiet strength and independence. 'Silence filled the space between us' Emmanuel, 15, was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay (GDD) and Apraxia at the age of 2. GDD is a condition where a child under five years old experiences significant delays in achieving milestones in developmental areas such as motor skills as well as speech and language, among others. Apraxia is a disorder of the brain and nervous system in which a person is unable to perform tasks or movements like chewing or speaking when asked. These conditions made communication a constant challenge for Isabelle and her family. "I felt helpless when I wasn't able to understand what my brother wanted and I could (feel) his frustration he wasn't able to express his needs," she said "That silence filled the space between us." However, Isabelle also vividly remembers Emmanuel's breakthroughs — like when he said his first word at four years old. "Behind every one of these milestones was a speech therapist who believed in him," she said. Inspired by this journey, Isabelle's mother Janice Tay left her corporate job to start Bridging the Gap — an early intervention centre for children with special needs. "Seeing her vision and sacrifice to create a more inclusive society for children really inspired me to do the same," Isabelle explained. Job shadowing solidified her commitment As she got older, Isabelle got the opportunity to shadow speech therapists at private centres like Bridging the Gap, special education schools and hospitals, which made her even more determined to pursue it as a career. Recalling her time shadowing a speech therapist at Bridging the Gap, the teen spoke about a boy she met who was having issues learning prepositions. While he initially struggled to remember a list of words like front, behind and above, the boy showed improvement over time and one day managed to list the words taught to him correctly. "I saw the smile on the therapist face, but what was (more) heartwarming to me was the joy in the child's eyes... a face of pride, as though (he) had done something meaningful," said Isabelle. "This moment was very important to me because it reminded me that progress in speech therapy isn't always immediate, but is incredibly rewarding." "It was a quiet but powerful affirmation to me that this was the work that I wanted to do — to help each child celebrate their achievements and find joy while helping them find their voice." Every person deserves to be heard When asked what she hopes to achieve in the future, Isabelle said that she wishes to educate and empower those with communication difficulties as well as their families. She also plans to advocate for them in educational settings and amplify their personal stories to improve awareness. "At the heart of it, I want society to move from 'what is wrong with you' to 'how can I understand and connect with you better' because I believe that every person — regardless of the way they communicate — deserves the right and recognition to be heard." [[nid:718460]]
Extra.ie
29-05-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Stark warning: Dublin faces citywide water shortages within five years
Uisce Éireann has warned water shortages will hit 'all customers' in Dublin in 'the next five years' due to 'critical' infrastructure issues. The chief executive of the utility, Niall Gleeson, has written to Housing Minister James Browne seeking 'an urgent meeting' over the matter. Mr Gleeson fears a multibillion-euro proposal to pump water from the River Shannon into the Greater Dublin Area to meet growing demand could be delayed for several years by planning objections from environmentalists. Housing Minister James Browne. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins He pointed to plans for a new wastewater plant that was expected to be operational this year, but now won't be delivered until 2032. In correspondence released to under Freedom of Information legislation, the Uisce Éireann boss said that issues with the supply of water in Dublin have become so dire that a drought in the Liffey today would result in immediate water restrictions. has previously revealed that thousands of new homes in Dublin are at risk because Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) needs tens of billions in investment. Niall Gleeson. Pic: Sasko Lazarov / © But the delivery of new homes is not the only serious problem emerging from Ireland's creaking water infrastructure. Mr Gleeson said the issues will affect 'not just the new housing targets but current and future foreign direct investment' in Dublin and across the country. He wrote: 'Significant population and economic growth over and above forecasts in the GDA (Greater Dublin Area) in the last three years means that there will be a shortage of water for all customers within the next five years. Greater Dublin. Pic: Getty Images 'This shortage can only be adequately addressed by prioritising the delivery of the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region (WSP).' The WSP will see water from the Shannon piped 170 km through counties Tipperary, Offaly, and Kildare to a reservoir at Peamount in Dublin, connecting into the GDA water supply network. The Department of Housing estimates that the project could cost over €10 billion. But Mr Gleeson has raised fears the WSP will run into significant planning delays. He referenced the Greater Dublin Drainage Project (GDD), which provides for a new wastewater treatment plant in Clonshaugh. The office of An Bord Pleanála in Dublin. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos It has been in planning for six years, with the original consent quashed 'on one ground only, over which Uisce Éireann had no control', and which related to a consultation between An Bord Pleanála and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This, he said, was 'a direct consequence of the overly complex multiple consenting regime in Ireland' The planning application was lodged in 2018, and the project was expected to be 'complete and operational by 2025'. However, he added: 'As a result of the ongoing planning delays, we now believe that, at best, the project may be delivered and operational by 2032.' Mr Gleeson then warned that he fears the same problems will befall the WSP. He said: 'Given the issues experienced on the GDD project, we are concerned that the WSP will suffer similar delays and will be tied up for years in the consenting processes.' However, a spokeswoman for the EPA said that An Bord Pleanála had not fulfilled its obligations to seek the agency's views on the DDP. She told 'The judgment in this case did not identify any shortcomings or omissions by the EPA. Uisce Éireann has submitted an application to the EPA, which is currently under review. 'A final decision will be made by the EPA on this licence once the necessary planning decision has been made.' A spokesman for Irish Water said the supply in the GDA is on a 'knife edge'. He said this may result in 'water conservation orders (hosepipe bans) or supply restrictions', particularly during periods of drought/high demand. He added: 'This is an unsustainable situation and is a symptom of the critical need to develop a new source of supply.' On housing, Mr Gleeson said it is estimated that to meet housing targets of 50,000 units per year, Irish Water would need an additional € 1.7 billion in a 'nationally multi-annual ring-fenced fund for housing and growth'. He added: 'Our projects are of national importance and without them there will be significant curtailment of the State's housing programme despite our best efforts'. A spokesman for the Department of Housing said that 'while there are risks to water supply until the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project is completed in the early 2030s, Uisce Éireann will take all possible action to maintain supply and support new connections'.
