Seasonal incidence of major insect pests of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) in South-western Haryana

Bottle gourd is an important vegetable crop that fetches recurrent income from farmers. The present investigation was carried out during the kharif season of 2019 to study the incidence of prevailing four insect pests of bottle gourd in relation to weather. The seasonal incidence of major insect pests such as Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, Aphis gossypii Glover and Bemicia tabaci Gennadius was studied. The fruit infestation by Bactrocera cucurbitae was initiated in the 34th SMW, and the maximum infestation was noticed in the 36th SMW. The fruit fly infestation was significant and positively correlated with evening relative humidity and rainfall. Aulacophora foveicollis incidence in bottle gourd was maximum in the 38th SMW. The beetle population was significantly and negatively correlated with minimum temperature and evening relative humidity. The maximum infestation of aphids and whitefly was noticed in the later stage of the crop during the 39th SMW, and the aphid population was significantly correlated with minimum temperature, evening relative humidity and rainfall, whereas the whitefly population was correlated significantly with evening relative humidity and rainfall

Performance of tall wheat under different sowing times and methods using various nutrient sources in western Haryana

To study the effect of different sowing times, methods and nutrient sources on the growth and productivity of tall wheat, a field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with three replications. The analysis of data revealed that tall wheat crop sown in the last week of October on FIRBS recorded significantly higher plant height, dry matter accumulation (at different growth stages), yield attributes, grain yield (2599 kg ha-1) and biological yield (7212 kg ha-1) as compared to conventionally sown wheat crop in 1st and 2nd week of November. Among the different nutrient sources, the recommended doses of chemical fertilizers provided significantly higher values of growth parameters, yield attributes, grain yield (2658 kg ha-1) and biological yield (7426 kg ha-1) compared to organic fertilizers/ biofertilizers. Maximum temperature showed a significant and positive correlation with yield and yield attributes. In light of the results to maximize the productivity of tall wheat, it may be sown in the last week of October on FIRBS supplied with recommended doses of fertilizers on the basis of soil test

Performance evaluation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, yield and quality under subtropical climate

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) belongs to the family Asteraceae and is known as a leafy salad vegetable. It is rich in vitamins like Vitamin A and C, and also a good source of minerals such as iron, sodium, calcium etc. It is more popular in temperate regions and also performing well under subtropical climatic conditions during the winter season. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to identify the suitable variety of lettuce for higher yield and quality under subtropical climate. The experiment was conducted with five treatments replicated thrice. Seeds of these five lettuce varieties viz., Tango, Bingo, Summer Star, Grand Rapid and Black Rose were sown in portrays prefilled with a combination of media made of coco peat, vermiculite and perlite in the ratio 3:1:1. After thirty days plants were plugged out and transplanted under field condition to study the performance of lettuce varieties. Among the studied varieties, the maximum yield (191.44 q/ha) was recorded with the variety Summer Star which was at par (190.32 q/ha) with the Bingo variety, followed by (129.50 q/ha) in Tango and the least (85.51 q/ha) by Black Rose. However, vitamin C content and total carotenoid content were significantly found highest (15.98 mg/ 100 g) and 8.06 mg/ 100 g in the Black Rose variety, respectively. Tango variety observed maximum chlorophyll ‘a’ (5.85 mg/ g FW), ‘b’ (2.01 mg/ g FW) and total chlorophyll (7.85 mg/ g FW) content among studied lettuce varieties

Plant-insect interaction in underutilized horticultural crops for sustainable production

Plants and insects have been living together for more than 350 million years. In co-evolution, both have evolved strategies to avoid each other’s defense systems. This evolutionary arms race between plants and insects has resulted in the development of an elegant defense system in plants that can recognise the non-self-molecules or signals from damaged cells, much like animals. It activates the plant’s immune response against the herbivores. Differences in genotypes of plant characters may affect insect-plant herbivore interactions, and variations in genotype traits are responsible for modifying the bottom-up effects. Recent evidence shows that the simultaneous occurrence of abiotic and biotic stress can positively affect plant performance by reducing the susceptibility to biotic stress, a positive sign for pest management. Plant responses to these stresses are multifaceted and involve copious antibiosis, physiological, antixenotic, molecular, molecular and cellular adaptations. Plants with antibiosis characteristics such as flavonoids, phenols, tannins, alkaloids, etc., may cause reduced insect survival, prolonged development time, decreased size and reduced new generation fitness. Quality and quantity of constitutive secondary metabolites production is species as well as cultivar specific and can be expressed as the signature of a particular plant or species and leads to the phenomenon of host-plant resistance. Hence, such plant resistance mechanisms have been effectively and widely used for managing insect pests in fields of underutilized crops. Natural defences are mediated through plant characteristics that affect insect biology, such as mechanical protection on the surface of the plants (e.g., hairs, trichomes, thorns, spines and thicker leaves) that either kill or retard the development of the herbivores. These phenomena of host plant resistance to insects can be exploited for the development of resistance crop cultivars which readily produce the inducible response upon mild infestation and can perform as one of the integrated pest management for sustainable crop production

The social profile of farmers in the village of S.A.S. Nagar district of Punjab

Agriculture education is crucial in ensuring the growth of agricultural profitability, efficacy, ecological responsibility, technology for agriculture, and environmental and ecological stability. The current study examines the socioeconomic factors that contribute to the importance of the farming community in Punjab, especially in the villages of Shakrullapur, Rora, Bibipur, Batta, and Fatehpur Theri all of which are located in the Kharar tehsil and SAS Nagar Mohali district. For this study, a questionnaire-based methodology was used. There are recordings of the 120 farmer interviews. The research aims to determine the living and working situations of the populace. A complete understanding of the socioeconomic condition was the aim of this investigation. While many people have improved their quality of life, some are still in the same predicament. Therefore, these locations Socioeconomic status must be investigated, particularly about the community as a whole, occupational framework, academic achievement, labour force income, residential characteristics, and government programs. Variables like Age, education, land holding, family composition, source of information, and extension contact were selected to assess the socio-profile of the farmers. The study showed that the average age of the respondents was 66%, 84% of respondents had access to mobile phones. The majority of the respondents were small farmers which is about 57% also, it is observed that about 34% of farmers have completed their middle school. And most of them i.e., about 86% get their source of information from input dealers (Private agencies), 59% of respondents have extension contact with cooperative societies

The traditional food of meiteis from the aspects of medicine, cultural, spiritual and social value

The relationship between plants and human beings has been known since time immemorial. Nowadays, there is scientific study of the relationship that exists between people and plants. This includes plants used as food, phytochemicals, pharmacology, clothing, currency, ritual, medicine, dye, construction, etc. Manipur was a small princely state in North-East India, having a history of about 2000 years. As Manipur is under Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hot Spot of the Northeast region, diverse flora and fauna are available. Meiteis, the dominant community of these states and the other 35 ethnic schedule tribes of Manipur, also have traditional foods like Houttunia chordata, Elsholgia, Polygonum species (phakpai) as condiments, Acorus calamus, Plectranthus, Mimosa pudica (Lam ekaithabi), Vitex negundo (Uriksshibi) as medicinal Plants, Oscimum sanctum (Tulsi), Cedrela toona (Tairen) Eupatorium balmanicum (Langthrei) as spiritual plants, Nicotiana tabacum, Lycopodium phlegmaria (Leishang khekwaiba) as cultural plants, Siroy lily and Dzuco lily as social plants as it indicates the availability in Siroi hilltop, Ukhrul and Dzuco