Activation of defense enzymes in arecanut (Areca catechu L.) seedlings upon inoculation with biocontrol agents

The effect of soil application of three biocontrol agents viz., Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma viride on arecanut seedlings were studied with respect to the induction, dynamics and persistence of activity of the defense enzymes viz., peroxidase, poly phenol oxidase, phenyl alanine ammonia lyase, catalase and chitinase. Results showed that the biocontrol agents differed in their ability to activate different enzymes and sustain their persistence in the seedlings

Crop weather relationship in arecanut

Weather plays an important role in the crop development and yield of any agricultural crops. Even though, arecanut (Areca catechu L.) grows in a wide range of climatic conditions, its performance is greatly influenced by the weather. The effect of weather variables such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity and rainfall at different stages of crop development on the annual yield of arecanut is studied. The study showed that the maximum temperature positively influences the flowering and fruit set in arecanut. Also, high rainfall and relative humidity during the flowering and fruit setting period adversely affect the arecanut yield. The stepwise regression model fitted using the significant weather variables could explain 97 per cent of the yield variation in arecanut

A robust estimate for location in experiments with plantation crops

Presence of outliers or extreme values in the experimental data is a major concern for data analysis. Many times, the experimental data contains abnormal or extreme values due to genetic variations, loss of yield due to pest/disease infestation, errors in tabulation/data entry etc. In field experimental data analysis, the plot mean or treatment mean is usually considered for comparison. The sample mean, which is usually taken as an estimate of the population mean (location estimator) is highly affected by the presence of outliers or extreme values particularly when the sample size is small. In this paper, kernel weighted location estimator with weight proportional to the value of the estimated kernel density function is proposed, to handle the outliers or extreme values. The kernel weighted location estimator is robust even if the underlying distribution is non-symmetric. The performance of the proposed method is compared with the existing procedures through simulation study. The method is also applied to the analysis of yield data of arecanut and cocoa mixed cropping experiment at CPCRI Regional Station, Vittal

Analysis of organic farming practices in cocoa in India

The study was conducted among 120 cocoa growers drawn randomly from one district each from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states. Profile characteristics of farmers were quantified based on socio-personal, psychological and economic variables. Majority of farmers were middle aged (64.2%), literate (96%), with less than 2 ha area under cocoa (64%) and farmers having livestock (77%). Most of the farmers had medium level of social participation, extension orientation and mass media exposure. One fifth of farmers had undergone training on organic farming, soil testing was done by nearly 31 per cent farmers and very few farmers (5%) had done organic certification. Mulching and use of green leaf manure were the main agronomic practices. Main organic inputs which were produced or prepared at the farm were, farm yard manure, crop residues, cow dung slurry, ash and vermicompost. Farm yard manure, neem cake, biofertilizers, goat manure etc. were the major inputs which were purchased from the market. Majority of cocoa growers (68.3%) had medium level of knowledge about organic farming practices. Knowledge of farmers on biocontrol agents (35%), botanical pesticides (33.3%) and biofertilizers (31.7%) was recorded. Variables like, education, social participation, extension orientation, mass media exposure and training attended were found to have positive and significant relationship with knowledge on organic farming practices. The mean yield and productivity of cocoa was found to be 1.2 kg dry beans tree-1year-1 and 608 kg dry beans ha-1 respectively. Gross income from cocoa was calculated as `170 tree-1year-1 and ` 83377 ha-1. Non-availability of labour, non-availability of quality organic inputs, difficulty in controlling pests and diseases by organic methods and lack of knowledge about organic farming practices were the major constraints

Forecasting of arecanut market price in north eastern India: ARIMA modelling approach

The paper deals with forecasting of minimum, maximum and average arecanut (Areca catechu L.) prices in the major arecanut markets of the Assam as well as Meghalaya based on the monthly price data. Monthly minimum, maximum, and average market price data of arecanut (in Rs./quintal) for the period May-2003 to March-2012 (for Assam) and February-2003 to March-2012 (for Meghalaya) were used. Box-Jenkins autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) methodology was adopted for developing the models. An interrupted time-series model was also applied to resolve the problem of intervention point (October-2011) for Meghalaya price data. The proposed models were ARIMA (1, 0, 1), ARIMA (1, 1, 1), ARIMA (0, 1, 1) (for Assam market price data series) and, log ARIMA (0, 1, 1), log ARIMA (1, 0, 1) with linear trend and a man-made intervention (Oct-2011) and log ARIMA (0, 1, 1) with linear trend and a manmade intervention (Oct-2011) (for Meghalaya market price data series) for minimum, maximum, and average monthly price series, respectively

Expression patterns of Passiflora edulis APETALA1/FRUITFULL homologues shed light onto tendril and corona identities

Abstract Background Passiflora (passionflowers) makes an excellent model for studying plant evolutionary development. They are mostly perennial climbers that display axillary tendrils, which are believed to be modifications of the inflorescence. Passionflowers are also recognized by their unique flower features, such as the extra whorls of floral organs composed of corona filaments and membranes enclosing the nectary. Although some work on Passiflora organ ontogeny has been done, the developmental identity of both Passiflora tendrils and the corona is still controversial. Here, we combined ultrastructural analysis and expression patterns of the flower meristem and floral organ identity genes of the MADS-box AP1/FUL clade to reveal a possible role for these genes in the generation of evolutionary novelties in Passiflora. Results We followed the development of structures arising from the axillary meristem from juvenile to adult phase in P. edulis. We further assessed the expression pattern of P. edulis AP1/FUL homologues (PeAP1 and PeFUL), by RT-qPCR and in situ hybridization in several tissues, correlating it with the developmental stages of P. edulis. PeAP1 is expressed only in the reproductive stage, and it is highly expressed in tendrils and in flower meristems from the onset of their development. PeAP1 is also expressed in sepals, petals and in corona filaments, suggesting a novel role for PeAP1 in floral organ diversification. PeFUL presented a broad expression pattern in both vegetative and reproductive tissues, and it is also expressed in fruits. Conclusions Our results provide new molecular insights into the morphological diversity in the genus Passiflora. Here, we bring new evidence that tendrils are part of the Passiflora inflorescence. This points to the convergence of similar developmental processes involving the recruitment of genes related to flower identity in the origin of tendrils in different plant families. The data obtained also support the hypothesis that the corona filaments are likely sui generis floral organs. Additionally, we provide an indication that PeFUL acts as a coordinator of passionfruit development

Concurrent emergence of exotic whitefly incursions on arecanut (Areca catechu L.) in India

Field incidence of exotic whitefly complex comprising two Neotropical nesting whiteflies viz., Paraleyrodes bondari Peracchi and Paraleyrodes minei Iaccarino, in association with invasive rugose spiralling whitefly Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin and native areca whitefly, Aleurocanthus arecae David & Manjunatha, on arecanut was reported from Karnataka, India during 2020. These arecanut palms were previously infested by A. arecae which was earlier reported from Karnataka during 2003. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the infestation of P. bondari and P. minei on arecanut as highlighted in this current investigation. Morphological identification based on pupal taxonomy and male genitalia as well as molecular characterization of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene confirmed the identity of nesting whiteflies. The Bondar’s nesting whitefly, P. bondari is the most predominant whitefly species with 87.5 per cent active colonies followed by the nesting whitefly, P. minei (13.64%) and the rugose spiralling whitefly, A. rugioperculatus (6.25%). Co-occurrence of these three non-native whitefly species on arecanut in synergy with the native A. arecae indicates a kind of competitive regulation of one species over the other upsetting biodiversity. Due to the polyphagous nature of the pest coupled with increased trade and transport in a climate change scenario, this whitefly complex may become a serious threat to arecanut production in India and elsewhere. This requires strict quarantine protocols to avert its spread to other arecanut growing areas

Quantum tunneling of superconducting string currents

We investigate the decay of current on a superconducting cosmic string through quantum tunneling. We construct the instanton describing tunneling in a simple bosonic string model, and estimate the decay rate. The tunneling rate vanishes in the limit of a chiral current. This conclusion, which is supported by a symmetry argument, is expected to apply in general. It has important implications for the stability of chiral vortons.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

Al2O3 and Al2O3-ZrO2 Fibers Obtained by Biotemplete with Low Thermal Conductivity

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Informe final del programa Ejercicio Profesional Supervisado realizado en la clínica dental del Centro de Atención Permanente Dionisio Gutiérrez, en San Cristobal, Totonicapán, Guatemala, período junio a octubre 2016-febrero a mayo 2017.

Programa de Actividades Comunitarias: consistieron en el entechado del escenario de la Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta, La Ciénaga, así como la remodelación de la Clínica Dental del Centro de Atención Permanente Dionisio Gutiérrez, ambos del municipio de San Cristóbal, Totonicapán, considerando este último, la pintura de paredes internas y externas, cambio de sillón y succión, así como la reparación del lavamanos. Programa de Prevención: El programa de Enjuagatorios de Fluoruro de Sodio abarcó la población escolar urbana y rural de San Cristóbal, Totonicapán donde se desarrolló el Programa EPS, se cubrió a la población de las siguientes 3 escuelas del municipio: Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta Juan Bautista Gutiérrez, Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta J.M. La Ciénaga y Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta La Independencia, con una atención promedio de 1,117 escolares al mes. Se realizaron 65 actividades en salud bucal beneficiando a 6,310 niños y niñas. En el subprograma de prevención se atendió a un total de 160 niños con Sellantes de Fosas y Fisuras (SFF) y se colocaron un total de 1,028 SFF. Programa de Atención Integral a Escolares: Se atendió un total de 57 escolares, a quienes se les realizaron un total de 60 profilaxis y aplicaciones tópicas de flúor, 453 sellantes de fosas y fisuras, 8 ionómeros de vidrio, 24 tratamientos periodontales, 105 amalgamas, 279 resinas, 6 pulpotomías, 4 tratamientos de conductos radiculares, 6 coronas de acero y 39 extracciones dentales. A los pacientes de población general se les realizaron 30 exámenes dentales. Investigación Única: Se realizó un estudio en una muestra de 20 estudiantes de las escuelas anteriormente mencionadas. Administración del Consultorio: Abarca capacitación del personal auxiliar. Durante los 8 meses se desarrollaron las capacitaciones semanales