Prospect and potential of Burkholderia sp. against Phytophthora capsici Leonian: a causative agent for foot rot disease of black pepper

Foot rot disease is a very destructive disease in black pepper in Malaysia. It is caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian, which is a soilborne pathogenic protist (phylum, Oomycota) that infects aerial and subterranean structures of many host plants. This pathogen is a polycyclic, such that multiple cycles of infection and inoculum production occur in a single growing season. It is more prevalent in the tropics because of the favourable environmental conditions. The utilization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a biological control agent has been successfully implemented in controlling many plant pathogens. Many studies on the exploration of beneficial organisms have been carried out such as Pseudomonas fluorescens, which is one of the best examples used for the control of Fusarium wilt in tomato. Similarly, P. fluorescens is found to be an effective biocontrol agent against the foot rot disease in black pepper. Nowadays there is tremendous novel increase in the species of Burkholderia with either mutualistic or antagonistic interactions in the environment. Burkholderia sp. is an indigenous PGPR capable of producing a large number of commercially important hydrolytic enzymes and bioactive substances that promote plant growth and health; are eco-friendly, biodegradable and specific in their actions; and have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity in keeping down the population of phytopathogens, thus playing a great role in promoting sustainable agriculture today. Hence, in this book chapter, the potential applications of Burkholderia sp. to control foot rot disease of black pepper in Malaysia, their control mechanisms, plant growth promotion, commercial potentials and the future prospects as indigenous PGPR were discussed in relation to sustainable agriculture

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Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted with integrated nutrient management treatments on 5 year old pomegranate cv. Ganesh. Total treatment combinations were seventeen viz, T1-Recommended dose of NPK i.e. 500 : 200: 500 g NPK/plant, T2- Vermicompost (10 kg/plant) + Neem cake (5 kg/plant) +Karanj cake (5 kg/plant), T3-Vermicompost (10 kg plant) + 50% NPK, T4-Vermicompost (10 kg/plant) + 50% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T5-Vermicompost (10 kg / plant) + 50% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T6-Neem cake (5 kg + 50% NPK ), T7- Neem cake 5 kg + 50% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T8-Neem cake 5 kg + 50% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T9-Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 50 % NPK, T10-Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 50% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T11- Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 50% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T12-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Neem cake 5 kg + 25% NPK, T13- Vermicompost (10 kg) + Neem cake (5 kg) + 25% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T14-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Neem cake (5 kg) + 25% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T15-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 25% NPK, T16-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 25% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant) and T17- Vermicompost (10 kg) + Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 25% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant). Result revealed that combination of vermicompost @ 10 kg + 25 per cent recommended dose of NPK + 5 kg Neem cake+ PSB 20g per plant significantly increased the quality components of pomegranate fruits in terms of TSS (16.95 ◦ Brix) , TSS acid ratio (41.62), ascorbic acid (14.39 mg/100 g), total sugar (14.24%) and organoleptic score (8.51) as well as leaf and soil nutrient status as compared to recommended dose of NPK (500g : 200g: 500g)Not Availabl

Effect of integrated nutrient management on fruit quality of pomegranate cv. Ganesh

A field experiment was conducted with integrated nutrient management treatments on 5 year old pomegranate cv. Ganesh. Total treatment combinations were seventeen viz, T1-Recommended dose of NPK  i.e. 500 : 200: 500 g NPK/plant, T2- Vermicompost (10 kg/plant) + Neem cake (5 kg/plant) +Karanj cake (5 kg/plant), T3-Vermicompost (10 kg plant)  + 50% NPK, T4-Vermicompost (10 kg/plant) + 50% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T5-Vermicompost (10 kg / plant)  + 50% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T6-Neem cake 5 kg + 50% NPK ), T7- Neem cake 5 kg + 50%  NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T8-Neem cake 5 kg + 50% NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T9-Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 50 % NPK, T10-Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 50% NPK + PSB (20 g/plant),  T11- Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 50%  NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T12-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Neem cake 5 kg + 25% NPK,  T13- Vermicompost (10 kg) + Neem cake (5 kg) + 25%  NPK + PSB (20 g/plant), T14-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Neem cake (5 kg) + 25%  NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant), T15-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 25%  NPK, T16-Vermicompost (10 kg) + Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 25%  NPK + PSB (20 g/plant) and T17- Vermicompost (10 kg) + Karanj cake (5 kg / plant) + 25%  NPK + Azotobacter (20 g/plant). Result revealed that combination of vermicompost @ 10 kg + 25 per cent recommended dose of NPK + 5 kg Neem cake+ PSB 20g per plant significantly increased the quality components of pomegranate fruits in terms of TSS (16.95 ◦ Brix) , TSS acid ratio (41.62), ascorbic acid (14.39 mg/100 g), total sugar (14.24%) and organoleptic score (8.51)  as well as leaf and soil nutrient status as compared to recommended dose of NPK (500g : 200g: 500g)

Establishing Environment Friendly Surface Treatment for AZ91 Magnesium Alloy for Subsequent Electroless Nickel Plating

Asystematic study was made to develop the non-chromate and non-fluoride surface treatment for the AZ91 alloy to enable an adherent and corrosion resistant electroless nickel (EN) coating. The performance of the surface treatments is substantiated by the EN coating, in a single and two (duplex) layers on the prior surface pretreated AZ91 alloy, in the subsequent bath. The surface treatment in a solution containing cerium nitrate and subsequent single layer EN coating exhibited good adhesion and an excellent corrosion resistance in 0.5% NaCl solution. The duplex EN layer improved both corrosion as well as adhesion resistance. A remarkable long term (100h exposure) corrosion resistance, assessed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), was shown by the duplex EN coating with an outer layer produced in a bath of pH similar to 5. In contrast, the duplex coating with an outer EN layer obtained in a bath of pH similar to 10.5 failed within 4h of exposure. The porosity index of the coating in the order of 10(-6) appears critical for achieving an excellent corrosion resistance. The adhesion resistance, as indicated by the critical load for coating delamination, was successively increased from 5.2 to 10.39N using different pretreatment processes. The adhesion resistance was influenced by the agglomerate particle size and coating thickness. (C) 2018 The Electrochemical Society

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Not AvailableThe rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) is a major production system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India covering nearly 10.5 million hectares including 4.1 million hectares of the northwestern (NW) states comprising Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh. In India, RW systems account for >80% of the total cereal production and about 50% of the total calorie intake. More than 90% area of the RW area is irrigated and is facing yield stagnation, soil degradation, declining ground water table and air pollution (Singh et al., 2011). Planting techniques are among the important factors affecting soil properties and crop yield. Among the crop production factors, tillage contributes up to 20% (Khurshid et al., 2006) and affects the sustainable use of soil resources through its influence on soil properties (Lal and Stewart, 2013).Conservation tillage positively influences several aspects of the soil whereas excessive and unnecessary tillage operations give rise to opposite phenomena that are harmful to soil. Therefore, currently there is a significant interest and emphasis on the shift from extreme tillage to conservation and no-tillage methods for the purpose of controlling erosion process (Jill et al., 2011; Naresh et al., 2015). The human population continues to grow steadily with the shrinking resources being used for agricultural production situates great challenge against Indian agricultural system to attain food and environmental security. To counter these twin challenges in the country there is urgent need of application of modern Hi-tech technologies for enhancing the productivity and sustainability of the rice-wheat system for long term on scientific basis. Precision farming (PF) looks a win-win technology towards improving the capability of agricultural land to produce crops on sustainable basis. The PF is based on the concept of determination of spatial and temporal variability in the crop production which in turn aimed for increasing crop productivity and reducing environmental menaces. It is innovative technology which comprises the application of several Hi-tech tools like Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Remote Sensing (RS), Variable Rate Technology (VRT), Decision Support System (DSS), and Farmer. Precision land leveling, precision planting, precision nutrient management by using Green Seeker, leaf color chart (LCC), site specific nutrient management has a lot of potential for enhancing crop yield and input use efficiency under field conditions while reducing the cost of production and deleterious impacts on environmental. Among different precision nutrient management practices STCR produced significantly higher grain yield by 13.86 and 33.83% over SPAD and control, respectively, but it remained at par with Green seeker and 100% RDF. N, P, K content and uptake in grain, straw and total as well as protein content were significantly higher with SSNM. However, Amongst N precision management practices, STCR resulted significantly higher N, P and K harvest index and agronomic efficiency, apparent recovery and physiological efficiency except nitrogen physiological efficiency in green seeker. In India, there are wide possibilities to practice a part of PF technologies in rice-wheat system accomplished through the use of simple and inexpensive gadgets like LCCs and expensive gadgets like chlorophyll meter and optical sensors.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) is a major production system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India covering nearly 10.5 million hectares including 4.1 million hectares of the northwestern (NW) states comprising Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh. In India, RW systems account for >80% of the total cereal production and about 50% of the total calorie intake. More than 90% area of the RW area is irrigated and is facing yield stagnation, soil degradation, declining ground water table and air pollution (Singh et al., 2011). Planting techniques are among the important factors affecting soil properties and crop yield. Among the crop production factors, tillage contributes up to 20% (Khurshid et al., 2006) and affects the sustainable use of soil resources through its influence on soil properties (Lal and Stewart, 2013).Conservation tillage positively influences several aspects of the soil whereas excessive and unnecessary tillage operations give rise to opposite phenomena that are harmful to soil. Therefore, currently there is a significant interest and emphasis on the shift from extreme tillage to conservation and no-tillage methods for the purpose of controlling erosion process (Jill et al., 2011; Naresh et al., 2015). The human population continues to grow steadily with the shrinking resources being used for agricultural production situates great challenge against Indian agricultural system to attain food and environmental security. To counter these twin challenges in the country there is urgent need of application of modern Hi-tech technologies for enhancing the productivity and sustainability of the rice-wheat system for long term on scientific basis. Precision farming (PF) looks a win-win technology towards improving the capability of agricultural land to produce crops on sustainable basis. The PF is based on the concept of determination of spatial and temporal variability in the crop production which in turn aimed for increasing crop productivity and reducing environmental menaces. It is innovative technology which comprises the application of several Hi-tech tools like Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Remote Sensing (RS), Variable Rate Technology (VRT), Decision Support System (DSS), and Farmer. Precision land leveling, precision planting, precision nutrient management by using Green Seeker, leaf color chart (LCC), site specific nutrient management has a lot of potential for enhancing crop yield and input use efficiency under field conditions while reducing the cost of production and deleterious impacts on environmental. Among different precision nutrient management practices STCR produced significantly higher grain yield by 13.86 and 33.83% over SPAD and control, respectively, but it remained at par with Green seeker and 100% RDF. N, P, K content and uptake in grain, straw and total as well as protein content were significantly higher with SSNM. However, Amongst N precision management practices, STCR resulted significantly higher N, P and K harvest index and agronomic efficiency, apparent recovery and physiological efficiency except nitrogen physiological efficiency in green seeker. In India, there are wide possibilities to practice a part of PF technologies in rice-wheat system accomplished through the use of simple and inexpensive gadgets like LCCs and expensive gadgets like chlorophyll meter and optical sensorsNot Availabl

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Using mycorrhiza helper microorganisms (MHM) to improve the mycorrhizal efficiency on plant growth

In the context of the “New Green Revolution,” innovative agricultural practices have to be identified to sustainably improve the traditional cultural approaches already used in the green revolution and to apply efficient technologies to solve actual agricultural problems (more particularly in the developing countries) but without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. To reach this objective, soil microbes represent a largely unexplored resource to promote agricultural yield and productivity in the context of sustainable farming practices. Among these beneficial microorganisms, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic association with ~80% of vascular plant species. These efficient symbionts are considered as a key group of soil microorganisms able to improve P uptake by plants. In addition, AMF have the potential to improve plant defense against plant pathogens and to promote plant tolerance against abiotic stresses. AMF are primary biotic soil components which, when missing or impoverished, e.g., due to anthropic input, can lead to a less efficient ecosystem functioning. Many environmental factors can affect the impact of AMF inoculation on the plant growth including the fungal species compatibility with soil characteristics and the interactions between the fungal inoculant and other soil microorganisms. Some microorganisms, named mycorrhiza helper bacteria (MHB), can facilitate the establishment and the functioning of the AMF symbiosis by stimulating spore germination, mycelial growth, root colonization, or sporulation but also by reducing stresses that could impact AMF symbiosis. The aim of this chapter is to review mechanisms implemented by MHB to promote the AMF establishment and to enhance the efficiency of the mycorrhizal effect on the plant growth. Using Mycorrhiza Helper Microorganisms (MHM) to Improve the Mycorrhizal Efficiency on Plant Growth