Development and validation of integrated pest management modules against spotted pod borer Maruca vitrata Fabricius on garden bean Lablab purpureus var. typicus (L.)

To reduce the detrimental effect of insecticides, an effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) module is necessary for the eco-friendly management of Maruca vitrata in garden bean ecosystem. Two field trials were carried out to evaluate the efficacy of different insecticides and botanicals against M. vitrata on Lablab purpureus var. typicus. Two seasons field evaluation of insecticides revealed that chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC  was the most effective treatment to control the pest recorded 0.11 and 0.36 larva/plant in two seasons, respectively after two rounds of spray followed by flubendiamide 20 WG (0.46 and 0.92 larva/ plant) and emamectin benzoate 5 SG (0.50 and 0.95 larva/plant). Among botanicals tested, commercial neem formulation and 5% Ageratina adenophora recorded the least larval count of 1.64 & 1.05 larva/plant and 2.24 & 1.45 larva/plant in two seasons, respectively. IPM modules were developed with three effective insecticides (chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC, flubendiamide 20 WG and emamectin benzoate 5 SG), two effective botanicals (commercial neem formulation 1500 ppm and 5% A. adenophora) along with the pheromone trap for validation. All the IPM modules were equally effective in managing M. vitrata population on L. purpureus and recorded a significantly (at 5 %) lower larval population than the farmer’s practice. The residues of chlorantraniliprole, flubendiamide and emamectin benzoate reached below the detectable level at the time of harvest. The population reduction of predatory coccinellids and spiders was also lower in IPM modules than in farmer’s practice. An increased benefit cost (1.95 to 1.99) ratio was observed in IPM modules. 

Rice straw biostimulants: Phytochemicals and effects on maize growth and tomato yield

Biostimulants offer sustainable alternatives to enhance plant growth, resilience and crop yield, especially in organic farming. This study aimed to develop a nutrient-enriched biostimulant from rice straw, a widely available agricultural by-product, often burned, leading to environmental pollution. Rice straw was collected, processed and extracted using cow urine and deionized water (1:50). The extracts underwent phytochemical analysis via GC-MS and LC-MS, identifying bioactive compounds such as fatty acids, sterols, phenols and flavonoids. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of key nutrients and trace elements, including potassium and magnesium, essential for plant growth. In-vitro assays on maize (CO6 hybrid) evaluated the biostimulant’s efficacy, showing a 12 % increase in germination and a 25 % improvement in seedling vigor at optimal cow urine extract concentrations (CE) (25 %). Root length and shoot biomass also exhibited significant improvements. Field experiments on tomato cultivar (Madhan hybrid) compared the effects of the rice straw-based biostimulant with panchagavya, a traditional organic preparation, alongside controls including cow urine and water. The findings revealed that the rice straw-derived biostimulant markedly improved fruit yield by 22 % compared to the control. This enhancement exceeded that of panchagavya, which achieved a 17 % increase in fruit yield. These results underscore the superior efficacy of the rice straw-based treatment, especially those extracted with cow urine, in enhancing crop productivity, reducing reliance on synthetic agrochemicals and promoting environmentally sustainable agricultural practices

Insights of sustainable horticultural practices for hill vegetables from the organic district of Tamil Nadu

Hill horticulture faces numerous constraints, including soil erosion, landslides, water scarcity, unique cropping seasons and limited access to extension services and technologies. The Nilgiris, labelled as the "Organic District of Tamil Nadu," serves as an ideal setting to assess farmers’ awareness, adoption and challenges related to Sustainable Horticultural Practices (SHP). This study focused on 320 farmers across four blocks: Coonoor, Ooty, Gudalur and Kothagiri, with an emphasis on hill-top vegetables such as potato, carrot, cabbage and cauliflower. The findings present a mixed scenario. While most farmers were aware of SHP, only 55.00 % adopted erosion control measures and 60.63 % practiced integrated pest, disease, nutrient and irrigation management. Some practices, such as improved filtration runoff (69.37 %) and animal waste management (66.25 %), were more widely adopted. However, significant challenges were noted, including limited time to track market trends for hill vegetables (68.00 %) and high transportation costs (67.00 %). The leading source of contamination was wild animal intrusion (94.38 %), followed by improper animal waste decomposition (81.56 %). Workers’ hygiene was identified as a contamination risk by 73.13 % of respondents, while transport containers and biosecurity breaches were reported by 65.63 % and 64.69 %, respectively. This study underscores the necessity to promote SHP adoption to address these numerous constraints. Enhancing farmers’ knowledge and practices can significantly improve horticultural sustainability and foster development in the hilly regions

EVALUATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC WATER PUMPING SYSTEM AND IMPROVING ITS EFFICIENCY FOR DEVELOPING AN ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE

An electricity demand in India is now at an all-time high. Agriculture accounts for 21.5 percent of total electricity use; according to sectoral demand patterns. Technology is becoming increasingly popular. PV cells are utilized to power electrical equipment because of their high energy output. Solar energy is a clean and inexpensive energy source. Solar powered water pumping is an important technology for conserving vital resources such as water and electricity. This experiment is to calculate the efficiency of solar pump and panel. It is evaluated by calculating the input and output energy of the pump and panel. By comparing the efficiencies of pump and panel we can be able to estimate the amount of loss of energy. For conserving the energy, we can also install battery and charge controller for the use of pump in dark without solar energy. It conserves energy even while the pump is working. At the time of 2-3pm the efficiency of solar panel is about 55-60% and for the pump is 50-55%. By installing the storage device, we can save 2-5% of the energy wastage. This proves to be a better implementation for conserving the energy and the use of pump at any time.&nbsp

EVALUATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC WATER PUMPING SYSTEM AND IMPROVING ITS EFFICIENCY FOR DEVELOPING AN ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE

An electricity demand in India is now at an all-time high. Agriculture accounts for 21.5 percent of total electricity use; according to sectoral demand patterns. Technology is becoming increasingly popular. PV cells are utilized to power electrical equipment because of their high energy output. Solar energy is a clean and inexpensive energy source. Solar powered water pumping is an important technology for conserving vital resources such as water and electricity. This experiment is to calculate the efficiency of solar pump and panel. It is evaluated by calculating the input and output energy of the pump and panel. By comparing the efficiencies of pump and panel we can be able to estimate the amount of loss of energy. For conserving the energy, we can also install battery and charge controller for the use of pump in dark without solar energy. It conserves energy even while the pump is working. At the time of 2-3pm the efficiency of solar panel is about 55-60% and for the pump is 50-55%. By installing the storage device, we can save 2-5% of the energy wastage. This proves to be a better implementation for conserving the energy and the use of pump at any time. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v09i08.00

Zebrafish models of inflammation in hematopoietic development and disease

Zebrafish offer an excellent tool for studying the vertebrate hematopoietic system thanks to a highly conserved and rapidly developing hematopoietic program, genetic amenability, optical transparency, and experimental accessibility. Zebrafish studies have contributed to our understanding of hematopoiesis, a complex process regulated by signaling cues, inflammation being crucial among them. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent cells producing all the functional blood cells, including immune cells. HSCs respond to inflammation during infection and malignancy by proliferating and producing the blood cells in demand for a specific scenario. We first focus on how inflammation plays a crucial part in steady-state HSC development and describe the critical role of the inflammasome complex in regulating HSC expansion and balanced lineage production. Next, we review zebrafish studies of inflammatory innate immune mechanisms focusing on interferon signaling and the downstream JAK-STAT pathway. We also highlight insights gained from zebrafish models harbouring genetic perturbations in the role of inflammation in hematopoietic disorders such as bone marrow failure, myelodysplastic syndrome, and myeloid leukemia. Indeed, inflammation has been recently identified as a potential driver of clonal hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis, where cells acquire somatic mutations that provide a proliferative advantage in the presence of inflammation. Important insights in this area come from mutant zebrafish studies showing that hematopoietic differentiation can be compromised by epigenetic dysregulation and the aberrant induction of signaling pathways

Shark Awareness Day 14th July

Shark Awareness Day 14th Jul

Course Manual on Marine Fisheries & Mariculture Prepared for the Training programme for B.F.Sc students of Central Agricultural University (CAU), Tripura

The undergraduate Fisheries Science students are required to know about the inland and marine fisheries. The students from landlocked area are getting rare opportunity to understand the marine fisheries and mariculture activities. Hence, based on the request of the Central Agricultural University (CAU), Tripura as a part of their academic activities, the Director, ICAR-CMFRI, has kindly approved a 10 days in-plant training for B.F.Sc. final year students at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Mandapam Regional Centre. The training was organized in collaboration with Agricultural Technology Information Centre (ATIC), ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi. A total of 27 B.F.Sc students and a faculty of Central Agricultural University (CAU), Tripura participated in the training programme during 17th to 26th January, 2020. The training emphasized on the skill development of students through hands on training on mariculture activities and field visits to fish landing centres. A course manual was prepared covering the major topics on marine capture fisheries and mariculture. I congratulate all those who have put in their sincere efforts to bring out this manual

Humanized zebrafish enhance human hematopoietic stem cell survival and promote acute myeloid leukemia clonal diversity

Xenograft models are invaluable tools in establishing the current paradigms of hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. The zebrafish has emerged as a robust alternative xenograft model but, like mice, lack specific cytokines that mimic the microenvironment found in human patients. To address this critical gap, we generated the first humanized zebrafish that express human hematopoietic-specific cytokines (GM-CSF, SCF, and SDF1α). Termed GSS fish, these zebrafish promote survival, self-renewal and multilineage differentiation of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and result in enhanced proliferation and hematopoietic niche-specific homing of primary human leukemia cells. Using error-corrected RNA sequencing, we determined that patient-derived leukemias transplanted into GSS zebrafish exhibit broader clonal representation compared to transplants into control hosts. GSS zebrafish incorporating error-corrected RNA sequencing establish a new standard for zebrafish xenotransplantation that more accurately recapitulates the human context, providing a more representative cost-effective preclinical model system for evaluating personalized response-based treatment in leukemia and therapies to expand human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the transplant setting