Biorational management of maize fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) using Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) enriched with chemical additives

An invasive pest, fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E.Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) attacks maize at every stage of development, from seedling emergence up to cob formation. Early instar larvae were seen mostly on leaves of maize with characteristics pin or shot hole symptoms. Later instar larvae were confined to deep whorls, leaving typically ragged like appearance and fed on the reproductive stage of the crop especially tassels and developing cobs resulting in quality and quantity loss of maize produce. The effect of commercially available Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki product, Dipel® against the second instar larvae of Fall Armyworm (FAW )was not promising under laboratory conditions. Hence, an effort was made to add an adjuvant along with B. thuringiensis to increase the virulence of commercially available B. thuringiensis.The Laboratory bioassays with B. thuringiensis and seven chemical additives ( T1- Bt + Boric acid, T2- Bt + Zinc oxide, T3- Bt + Sodium nitrate, T4- Bt + Peptone, T5- Bt + Urea, T6- Bt + EDTA, T7- Bt + Citric acid & T8-  Bt alone T9- Control) were tested against second instar larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda larvae. The results showed that B. thuringiensis plus sodium nitrate (T3) promoted maximum mortality 82.2 per cent with a minimum LC50 value of 54.620 mg/l. Sodium nitrate boosted B. thuringiensis activity at a concentration of 0.05 per cent by 2.128-fold than B. thuringiensis alone. Overall, sodium nitrate improved the efficacy of B. thuringiensis spray at the maximum level followed by boric acid, urea, EDTA and peptone

Effect of soil and crop management practices on sodicity stress alleviation and rice productivity under water scarce condition

The prominent issue faced by the farmers of Cauvery Delta regionin Tamil Nadu particularly Tiruchirapalli District is the lack of timely release of water for rice nursery preparation and transplanting. Hence wet seeding of rice is recommended for timely cultivation. On the other hand, sodic nature of the soil warrants rice cultivation only. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to study the different soil and crop management practices on alleviating sodicity stress and improving rice (variety ADT 3) productivity under water-scarce conditions. The experiment was laid in a split plot design with six mainplots,including rice wet seeding, daincha (Sesbania aculeata) application as green manure, anti-oxidant microbial consortia (AOMC) spray and four sub-plots with graded levels of NPK based on soil test values with three replication. Results showed that the daincha incorporation @ 6.25 t/ha followed by rice wet seeding + AOMC spray @1.5 % with 125 % soil test based NPK had significantly increased thechlorophyll content, SPAD values, proline content and grain and straw yields which remained on par with daincha incorporation @ 6.25 t/ha followed by rice wet seeding + AOMC spray @1.5 % with 100 % soil test based NPK.Significantly lower ESP at 5% level and higher phosphatase activity in soil was also recorded by daincha incorporation @ 6.25 t/ha followed by rice wet seeding + AOMC spray @1.5 % with 125 % and 100 % soil test based NPK. Gross return, net return and B:C ratio were also higher in the plot, which received daincha incorporation @6.25 t/ha followed by rice wet seeding + AOMC spray @1.5 % with 100 % soil test based NPK. The present study reveals that the inclusion of ectophytic microbial population spray in rice plants and the management practices helps the crop to tolerate the sodicity stress under water-scarce condition by maintaining required physiological functions like proline synthesis and enzyme activities etc which need to be further explored at the genotypic level.

Exploring the functionality of ethnic fermented sour beverages and their standardization with improved shelf stability for industrial use

The nutritional and functional characteristics of cereal and millets have been enhanced by fermentation technology and have proven to be a viable option for the cereal industry. The fermentation technique aids in increasing the nutrient content, viz., minerals, vitamins, proteins, phenolics and antinutritional compounds, as phytic acid degrades. The study aimed to investigate the appropriate fermentation technique for developing ethnic fermented sour beverages and standardize the product with improved shelf stability for industrial use. Neeragarams (an indigenous fermented rice product from the southern part of India) were prepared using Mapillai samba, and a notable and nutritious traditional rice variety of Tamil Nadu was taken (T1 - raw - unpolished, T2 - raw - polished, T3 - parboiled - unpolished and T4 - parboiled - polished) with added species such as onions, green chillies and curry leaves. The study observed that among four different treatments of neeragaram, T1 (raw rice - unpolished) was highly acceptable based on consumer acceptability with the sensory value of 9.0 higher nutritional characteristics viz., energy 68.29 Kcal, carbohydrates 11.15 %, protein 4.21 %, fiber 2.59 %, fat 0.93 %, iron 4.21 mg, potassium 181.7 mg, sodium 61.23 mg and zinc 2.32 mg per 100 ml of neeragaram. The developed product will be highly suitable for commercialization with improved shelf stability. Among the four treatments, raw (unpolished) neeragaram was highly acceptable with maximum retention of nutritional characteristics. The developed fermented sour beverages do not involve a high cost of production and earn good returns to entrepreneurs. The development of these fermented sour beverages using rice will increase the suitability for consumers and, in turn, improve persons with nutritional and functional status