SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF CUO NANOPARTICLES

Low temperature chemical synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO) was achieved in aqueous solution using L-Ascorbic acid as a reductant and the cationic surfactant Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a capping agent to assessed their antimicrobial potential against phytopathogens.CuO nanoparticles shown antibacterial activity against all the tested bacterial cultures viz., Escherichia coli (12.87±1.80), Proteus sp. (12.5±2.39), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.3±1.92), Staphylococcus (23.87±2.1), Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae (21.7± 2.65); similarly antifungal activity against fungal cultures viz., Aspergillus niger (15.62±1.06), Alternaria sesami (22.25±2.31), Colletotrichum lindemunthianum (11.6±1.92), Fusarium udum (17.5±2.20). The maximum activity of CuO nanoparticles was found against Streptococcus aureus (23.875±2.1) while the minimum activity was found against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.3 ±1.92). Copper sulphate, L-Ascorbic acid did not shown any antimicrobial activity where as CTAB shown relatively less activity as compared to CuO nanopaticles. The synthesized cupper nanoparticles will presumably useful in formulation of various biopesticides and ecologically feasible effective management strategy against harmful pathogenic microorganism

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), originated from America but is reported recently from Africa and the Asia-Pacific. FAW has caused huge international concern since its outbreak in Africa since 2016 and in Asia since mid-2018. The chapter mainly reviews its global distribution, life cycle, identification characters, strains, host plants, nature of damage, economic damage, and integrated pest management strategies available. The pest completes its life cycle on maize in 30 days (in warm summer months); in cooler temperatures, it may extend up to 60–90 days. For effective management of fall armyworm, different tools, viz., cultural control, agronomic management, breeding for resistance, natural enemies, and eco-friendly insecticides, should be used in an integrated approach. As the insect is recently introduced to Africa and the Asia-Pacific, possible management strategies and future cases of action are discussed