Insecticidal potential of traditionally important plant, Zanthoxylum armatum DC (Rutaceae) against cabbage butterfly, Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus)

304-311Cabbage butterfly, Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus) is one of the most destructive pests of brassicaceous crops. Zanthoxylum armatum DC (Rutaceae) is versatile, traditionally important and edible medicinal plant, known to have insect repellent and larvicidal properties against many pests. Thus, the insecticidal potential of Z. armatum was evaluated against P. brassicae. N-hexane fraction of different plant parts of Z. armatum was extracted by using standard Soxhlet extraction method. Median lethal concentrations and time (LC50 and LT50) were determined by contact and oral toxicity tests by using Probit analysis. Pericarp and leaf extracts were found toxic to the caterpillars by contact. LC50’s of pericarp and leaf extract (by contact) was found to be 0.15% and 0.22%, respectively at 72 h. The relative toxicity of pericarp extract was recorded to be 1.50, when Azadirachtin 0.15 EC was considered as a unit. With sub-lethal concentrations, the developmental time was delayed; while percentage of pupation and adult emergence was significantly affected in treated caterpillars. In semi-field study, egg-laying of the female butterfly was significantly reduced and larval mortality was considerably higher (up to 53.33%) within 72 h after treatment in plants treated with Z. armatum extracts. In field trial, significant reduction (67.92%) in larval population was observed within 5 days of spraying of Z. armatum extracts

Invasiveness, biology, ecology, and management of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda.

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EFFECT OF GYPSUM APPLICATION AND LEACHING ON THE RECLAMATION OF SODIC VERTISOL AND CROP PRODUCTION

The field experiment on reclamanation of moderately sodic soil was conducted to study the effect of gypsum levels on soil properties improvement, and growth and yield of maize. The gypsum application@ 75% G.R. followed by adequate leaching gave maximum yield of fodder maize. It was also observed that the amount of salt removal and ESP decreased considerably with the increments in gypsum application rate. The salts of 1359 kg/ha were removed from the soil depth of 90 cm due to gypsum application as per the Schoonover\u27s method

Characterization of draft mitochondrial genome of guava trunk borer, Aristobia reticulator (Fabricius, 1781) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from India

Aristobia reticulator (Fabricius, 1781) is an important coleopteran pest of guava and litchi in India and China. The draft mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of A. reticulator is ca. 15,838 bp long and consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a control region (MK423971). The nucleotide composition of the mitogenome was significantly A + T-biased (A: 39.3%, T: 39.2%, G: 8.7%, C: 12.8%). All 22 tRNA genes show typical secondary cloverleaf structures. The mitogenome gene content and gene order was as described for a majority of coleopteran species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. reticulator was closely related to Anoplophora chinensis (Forster), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), and Anoplophora lurida (Pascoe, 1857) of the coleopteran tribe Lamiini (Cerambycidae, Lamiinae)

Invasiveness, biology, ecology, and management of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

This is the author accepted mansucriptThe fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith, 1797), is a serious pest of several crops, particularly maize and other cereals. It has long been known as a pest in the Americas and has invaded most of Africa and parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Australia in the last six years. Its new status as an invasive species causing serious damage in many regions worldwide has highlighted the need for better understanding and has generated much research. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of FAW covering its (i) taxonomy, biology, ecology, genomics, and microbiome, (ii) worldwide status and geographic spread, (iii) potential for geographic expansion and quarantine measures in place, and (iv) management including monitoring, sampling, forecasting, biological control, biopesticides, agroecological strategies, chemical control, insecticide resistance, effects of insecticides on natural enemies, as well as conventional and transgenic resistant cultivars. We conclude with recommendations for research to enhance the sustainable management of FAW in invaded regions.Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UKDirectorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), NetherlandsEuropean Commission Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO)Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech RepublicNORA