Question raised in Rajya Sabha on charging stations for electric vehicles, 20/07/2022. The number of electric vehicles in the country is 13,34,385 (excluding data of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Lakshadweep, which is not available in Vahan 4) as on 14-07-2022 and a total of 2826 Public Charging Stations …
The South American tomato moth Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a devastating pest of tomato. In the present study Tuta-adapted strains of Trichogramma were evaluated. Amongst the three species, Trichogramma achaeae Nagaraja and Nagarkatti, Trichogramma pretiosum Riley and Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja could parasitise T. absoluta eggs and the parasitism rates were …
Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides world-wide, but their fate in the environment remains unclear, as does their potential to influence non-target species and the roles they play in agroecosystems. The researchers investigated in laboratory and field studies the influence of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, applied as a coating to …
Biological control provided by natural enemies play an important role in integrated pest management. Generalist insect predators provide an important biological service in the regulation of agricultural insect pests. Our goal is to understand the explicit process of oviposition preference, habitat selection and feeding behavior of predators in farmland ecosystem …
The widespread use of Bt crops reduces the outbreaks of certain targeted pests and the need for insecticide use, leading to enhanced biocontrol of other potential pest species in the Bt crops; neighbouring non-Bt crops may also benefit.
Parasitoid disturbance populations in agroecosystems can be maintained through the provision of habitat refuges with host resources. However, specialized herbivores that feed on different host plants have been shown to form host-specialized races. Parasitoids may subsequently specialize on these herbivore host races and therefore prefer parasitizing insects from the refuge, …
The filamentous ascomycetous fungi Trichoderma spp. are agriculturally and industrially important, being the major source of many commercial enzymes and as biofungicides. More than 60% of all registered biofungicides used for plant disease control are Trichoderma-based. Mycoparasitism, wherein one fungus directly kills and obtain nutrients from other fungi is considered …
Land-use options that increase resilience and reduce vulnerability of contemporary societies are fundamental to livelihoods improvement and adaptation to climate change. Agroforestry as a wide-spread land-use adaptation may potentially support livelihoods improvement through simultaneous production of food, fodder and firewood as well as mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Drawing …
Agronomic intensification has transformed many agricultural landscapes into expansive monocultures with little natural habitat. A pervasive concern is that such landscape simplification results in an increase in insect pest pressure, and thus an increased need for insecticides. We tested this hypothesis across a range of cropping systems in the Midwestern …
Only when farming is based upon "natural principles" can it be truly sustainable. Ecological farming is based on nurturing and nourishing the soils. Emphasizing soil conservation and building up organic matter are key to maintain these natural ecological balances in crop ecosystems. Mojo plantation is one such attempt.
Tango with nature India has been using lakes, ponds and baolis (step wells) since ancient times ('What monsoon means', July 16-31, 2010). Delhi was once replete with water bodies. In the past 50 years, government agencies started disbanding natural ponds, lakes and baolis, declaring their water untested, and therefore, unfit …
A survey of organic and conventional potato fields shows that species evenness is greater under organic management. Replicating these levels of evenness in a field trial shows that the evenness of natural enemies found in organic fields promotes pest control and increases crop biomass. This is independent of the identity …
Organic farming supports higher biodiversity. Research involving the Colorado potato beetle shows that this increased diversity can deliver a better ecosystem service in the form of more effective pest control.
with chemical pesticides accumulating in crops, entering the food chain and creating pests with the next level of immunity, biocontrol is taken a little more seriously. Bacteria, fungi and insect parasitic nematodes assume greater importance in agricultural research. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization was the first to use …
Antagoistic bacteria were isolated from soil samples collected from different forest areas of Jabalpur, Mandla, Umaria and Bilaspur. One antagonistic bacteria Bacillus firmus was isolated from the soil of Belkund teak forest nursery, Kundam Project, Forest Development Corporation, Jabalpur.
This study sets out the importance of analysing a specific situation in order to develop a holistic strategy of interventions which will be appropriate to the vectors and the local conditions. The strategies proposed recognise the importance of community participation, health education, surveillance, improving public health systems, decentralization of malaria …
JORHAT, May 17: The Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, is organizing a national-level workshop on biological control of crop pests and weeds on May 29 and 30 at the University. This was informed by Dr A Basit, Principal Scientist, AICRP on bio-control and organizing secretary of the workshop. …
Trichoderma spp. are well known as biocontrol agents. However, for field applications the farmers have to purchase them from agroproduct shops. Similarly, straw from different cereal crops after harvesting is generally not used further. Here an integrated use of straw and bioexploitation of Trichoderma sp. is presented. (Correspondence)
Spiders are gaining favour in ecological studies as indicators of environmental quality1 and as biological control agents in agricultural ecosystems. Coffee, a major commercial crop of India harbours rich spider diversity. The crop is also attacked by a variety of pests. This correspondence discusses the importance of gut content analysis …
Agents to control this dreaded weed work well in labs, need to be taken to fields congress grass or parthenium, a native of tropical America, came to India accidentally in 1955. A rapidly growing invasive species, this grass competes well for nutrients and space and reproduces fast. One of the …
