Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of HC Singla Vs State of Punjab dated 31/10/2022. The matter is related to biological pollution by the Susri insect. This pollution is being caused due to decaying grains, due to negligence in storage arrangements of grains by Food Corporation of …
Farmers have been asked to restrict use of chemical insecticides as the incidence of pests and diseases was found below economic threshold levels in the districts of the State. Light traps According to experts from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, farmers should monitor the movement of adult insects by setting up …
An admission upfront: I am not a scientist, nor an entomologist. So what am I doing reviewing a book on insects? The authors Rebecca Thomas and Geetha Iyer have taught biology at Rishi Valley School, and this book is an output of their passion for nature. Just like the authors, …
The public should be properly consulted ahead of any release of experimental insects. But what do they need to know, and whose job is it to ensure the message gets across? (Editorial)
THE Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati district of Maharashtra now has the largest concentration of giant wood spider, nephila pilipes, in the world. This population grew because of prolonged monsoon and a longer ban on grazing due to wet weather this year. Known for its rich forests, diverse fauna and …
Within the framework of the project "Sustainable insect farming and harvesting for better nutrition, improved food security, and household income generation," which kicked off in January 2011, FAO began introducing small-scale cricket farming at the School for Gifted and Ethnic Students, National University of Laos (NUoL).
Greenhouse gas (GHG) production, as a cause of climate change, is considered as one of the biggest problems society is currently facing. The livestock sector is one of the large contributors of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Also, large amounts of ammonia (NH3), leading to soil nitrification and acidification, are produced by …
Greenhouse gas (GHG) production, as a cause of climate change, is considered as one of the biggest problems society is currently facing. The livestock sector is one of the large contributors of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Also, large amounts of ammonia (NH3), leading to soil nitrification and acidification, are produced by …
Jharkhand has the reputation of being India’s biggest producer of lac, a scarlet-coloured resin secreted by an insect on trees. The state accounts for more than 50 per cent of the country’s lac produce. In 2004-05, Jharkhand produced 10,780 tonnes of lac. This season, from March to October, traders were …
Climate change has been identified as a causal factor for diverse ecological changes worldwide. Warming trends over the last couple of decades have coincided with the collapse of long-term population cycles in a broad range of taxa, although causal mechanisms are not well-understood. Larch budmoth (LBM) population dynamics across the …
FOOD is the key source of energy that is transferred from one organism to another in a food web. To study the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another, scientists from School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University (New Haven), zoomed into the eating habits of grasshoppers. …
A study was conducted to document spider diversity in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand. The area is dense forest of Chir Pine, Oak, Birch and Rhododendrons.
How does artificial light affect insects? The strong illumination of artificial light attracts insects. We reviewed the epidemiological information on three insect-borne diseases, chagas, kala azar and malaria, and found artificial lighting changed the behaviour of insect vectors and thereby the modes of disease transmission. For example, the chagas parasite …
The impacts of climate change on phenological responses of species and communities are well-documented; however, many such studies are correlational and so less effective at assessing the causal links between changes in climate and changes in phenology. Using grasshopper communities found along an elevational gradient, we present an ideal system …
ALMOST all civilisations hold insects as an important element within their cultures. Scarab beetles were central religious artifacts within Egyptian culture. The Chinese viewed cicadas as a symbol of birth or immortality, the San of the Kalahari believe the praying mantis represents creation and patience, and the Greeks also created …
Acompetition motivated by a solemn idea—to highlight the extinction of animals and plants in the UK—ended with touches of poetry and artistic brilliance. In June, the British daily, The Guardian, announced a competition to name some lesser known and threatened insects, lichens and sea creatures that were till then known …
Roy Mathew THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Giant African snails are invading agriculture land and homes in several localities of Kerala, posing a serious problem. A native of East Africa, the land snail ( Achatina fulica) is a pest that attacks nearly 500 plant species, including those bearing fruits and vegetables and even rubber …
We still do not know 60-70% of the living insect species in India and almost all of these yet unnamed species probably occur only in our Protected Areas now. 'No permits to survey in' or 'unrestricted access to these areas given to qualified specialist scientists' means no knowledge about three …
The tropics owe their stunning biodiversity to consistent year-round temperatures, not higher temperatures or more sunlight, according to a novel survey of insect diversity at different latitudes and at different points in the planet's history. The finding, presented this week in the journal Paleobiology by researchers from Harvard University, Simon …
AGRICULTURE experts from various countries gathered at St Petersburg in Russia on May 30-31 to strategize how to combat wheat rust diseases threatening the world’s food supply. Syria said 80 per cent of its wheat fields are infected by stripe rust. Three of the world’s top 10 wheat producing countries— …
Kachchh, the 2nd largest district in India (45,652 km2) and located in the north-western region of Gujarat, experiences tropical arid climate (13 average rainy days in a year) with high evapotranspiration rate resulting in degradation of land. Higher dependence on groundwater for agricultural and industrial activities has accelerated the salinity …
