Organic Vegetable Cultivation

Present day agricultural practices are posing a serious threat to the human population due to unscrupulous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Conventional agricultural practices wherein large quantities and unscrupulous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are no longer safer as it directly enter the food chain. Hence, organic cultivation of vegetables is gaining momentum among the growing population. Organic practices rely on crop rotations, crop residues, plant and animal manures, growing of legume and green manure crops and biological control of pests and diseases. It aims to combine tradition, innovation and science in a balanced proportion to utilize the environment in safer manner and maintain ecological balance. Organic cultivation assures protection of the environment and plays a major role on the economy of a nation. Sustainable production of organic vegetables needs to be ensured to fetch premium price in the domestic as well as international markets. Organic farming has shown expansion in the recent years in the European countries offering scope for a better price in the international market

Carbon Accumulation, Soil Microbial and Enzyme Activities in Elephant Foot Yam-Based Intercropping System

Intercropping is a sustainable, eco-friendly, and economically beneficial cropping system. Elephant foot yam (EFY), a multifarious long-duration vegetable, takes 60 days or more to spread its canopy. Hence, this research assessed the impact of intercropping short duration vegetables, viz., cluster bean, radish, Amaranthus, and fenugreek, in elephant foot yam for two seasons (2021 and 2021/22). It included the analysis of parameters such as carbon accumulation, soil chemical properties, nutrient, enzyme, and microbial activities. The findings revealed that for both the seasons there was a significant (p < 0.01) rise in all the parameters examined in the intercropping patterns. Cluster bean (legume) outperformed the other intercrops utilised. Overall, carbon accumulation was improved by 54.40% when cluster beans were intercropped in EFY. Cluster bean intercropping increased the microbial and enzyme activities in the soil rhizosphere and improved soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium by 31, 42, 28, 37, and 11%, respectively, compared to the sole crop. A positive correlation was observed between the soil microbes and enzyme activity with the soil chemical properties. As a result, the research concludes that intercropping cluster bean in EFY promotes carbon accumulation, soil nutrients, enzymes, and microbial community, which, in turn, favour the productivity of the elephant foot yam

Exploring the Potentiality of Native Actinobacteria to Combat the Chilli Fruit Rot Pathogens under Post-Harvest Pathosystem

Chilli is an universal spice cum solanaceous vegetable crop rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, capsaicin and capsanthin. Its cultivation is highly threatened by fruit rot disease which cause yield loss as high as 80&ndash;100% under congenial environment conditions. Currently actinobacteria are considered as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides at pre and post-harvest pathosystems. Hence, this research work focuses on the exploitation of rhizospheric, phyllospheric and endophytic actinobacteria associated with chilli plants for their antagonistic activity against fruit rot pathogens viz., Colletotrichum scovillei, Colletotrichum truncatum and Fusarium oxysporum. In vitro bioassays revealed that the actinobacterial isolate AR26 was found to be the most potent antagonist with multifarious biocontrol mechanisms such as production of volatile, non-volatile, thermostable compounds, siderophores, extracellular lytic enzymes. 16S rRNA gene sequence confirmed that the isolate AR26 belongs to Streptomyces tuirus. The results of detached fruit assay revealed that application of liquid bio-formulation of Stretomyces tuirus @ 10 mL/L concentration completely inhibited the development of fruit rot symptoms in pepper fruits compared to methanol extracts. Hence, the present research work have a great scope for evaluating the biocontrol potential of native S. tuirus AR26 against chilli fruit rot disease under field condition as well against a broad spectrum of post-harvest plant pathogens

Exploring the Potentiality of Native Actinobacteria to Combat the Chilli Fruit Rot Pathogens under Post-Harvest Pathosystem

Chilli is an universal spice cum solanaceous vegetable crop rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, capsaicin and capsanthin. Its cultivation is highly threatened by fruit rot disease which cause yield loss as high as 80–100% under congenial environment conditions. Currently actinobacteria are considered as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides at pre and post-harvest pathosystems. Hence, this research work focuses on the exploitation of rhizospheric, phyllospheric and endophytic actinobacteria associated with chilli plants for their antagonistic activity against fruit rot pathogens viz., Colletotrichum scovillei, Colletotrichum truncatum and Fusarium oxysporum. In vitro bioassays revealed that the actinobacterial isolate AR26 was found to be the most potent antagonist with multifarious biocontrol mechanisms such as production of volatile, non-volatile, thermostable compounds, siderophores, extracellular lytic enzymes. 16S rRNA gene sequence confirmed that the isolate AR26 belongs to Streptomyces tuirus. The results of detached fruit assay revealed that application of liquid bio-formulation of Stretomyces tuirus @ 10 mL/L concentration completely inhibited the development of fruit rot symptoms in pepper fruits compared to methanol extracts. Hence, the present research work have a great scope for evaluating the biocontrol potential of native S. tuirus AR26 against chilli fruit rot disease under field condition as well against a broad spectrum of post-harvest plant pathogens

First Report of <i>Clonostachys rosea</i> as a Mycoparasite on <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> Causing Head Rot of Cabbage in India

Clonostachys rosea, an ascomycetous, omnipresent, cellulose-decaying soil fungus, has been reported to be a well-known mycoparasitic biological control agent. In this study, we isolated C. rosea, a mycoparasitic fungus for the first time in India from sclerotia of the notorious plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, causing head rot disease in cabbage. A total of five mycoparasitic fungi were isolated from the sclerotial bodies of S. sclerotiorum (TNAU-CR 01, 02, 03, 04 and 05). All the isolates were tested under morpho-molecular characterization. Among them, TNAU-CR 02 showed the greatest mycelial inhibition of 79.63% over the control. Similarly, the SEM imaging of effective C. rosea isolates indicated the presence of numerous conidia destroying the outer cortex layers of sclerotia. Metabolite fingerprinting of C. rosea TNAU-CR 02 identified 18 chemical compounds using GC-MS analysis. The crude antibiotics of C. rosea TNAU-CR 02 were verified for their antifungal activity against S. sclerotiorum and the results revealed 97.17% mycelial inhibition compared with the control. Similarly, foliar application of TNAU-CR 02 at 5 mL/litre on 30, 45 and 60 days after transplanting showed the lowest disease incidence of 15.1 PDI compared to the control. This discovery expands our understanding of the biology and the dissemination of C. rosea, providing a way for the exploitation of C. rosea against cabbage head rot pathogens