scholarly journals Impact of the groundnut leafminer, Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on growth and yield of two groundnut cultivars

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-91
Author(s):  
T.G. Shanower ◽  
A.P. Gutierrez ◽  
J.A. Wightman

AbstractThe impact of larval defoliation by Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) on the growth, development and yield of two groundnut cultivars (Kadiri 3 and NC Ac 17090) was studied under a naturally occurring, high density infestation. Defoliation by leaf-mining larvae did not increase plant mortality in either cultivar. In both cultivars, leaf and stem production were significantly lower in untreated plots than in the treated plots. Unsprayed plants of both cultivars produced fewer flowers, pegs, and pods per plant compared to plants of the same cultivar protected with monocrotophos. Fruit growth rates, however, were marginally higher in control plots than in treated plots. Pod yields were 35 and 44% lower, and haulm yields 25 and 20% lower, in Kadiri 3 and NC Ac 17090, respectively in untreated control plots compared to plots treated with insecticide. A linear relationship between leafminer density and pod and haulm yields was observed, and differences between cultivars were not significant.

1972 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Allen ◽  
D. G. Morgan

SUMMARYTwo experiments carried out in 1968 and 1969 are described which examined, through growth and yield analysis, the effect of nitrogen on the growth of oilseed rape. The results of the second experiment, when 0, 105·5 and 211·0 kg N/ha were compared, are presented and discussed. The application of nitrogen increased the yields of seed and oil, principally through increased production of seeds by a larger number of pods. However, the application of nitrogen had little effect on average pod weight or average seed weight. Crop growth rates were increased by the application of nitrogen and reached their highest levels during the period of pod development when the leaf areas had declined to very low levels. The order of effects of nitrogen (N 2 > Nl > NO) was similar for LAI, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod and it is likely that the effect of nitrogen was achieved indirectly through an increase in the supply of assimilates to the flowers and young pods. This suggests that the maintenance of a large and photosynthetically efficient leaf area during the period of flowering is necessary for high yields in this crop.The results also suggest that once pods are macroscopic they produce much of the assimilates needed for their own growth.The implications of these findings with regard to both practice and further research are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1014
Author(s):  
Sulaiman & Sadiq

The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse during 2017 and 2018 growing seasons to evaluate the impact of the shading and various nutrition programs on mitigating heat stress, reducing the use of chemical minerals, improving the reproductive growth and yield of tomato plant. Split-plot within Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications was conducted in this study. Shading factor was allocated in the main plots and the nutrition programs distributed randomly in the subplots. Results indicate that shading resulted in the decrease of daytime temperature by 5.7˚C as an average for both seasons; thus a significant increasing was found in leaf contents of macro nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium), and micro nutrients (Iron, Zinc and Boron), except the Iron content in 2018 growing season. Furthermore, shading improved significantly the reproductive growth and tomato yield. Among the plant nutrition programs, the integrated nutrient management (INM) including the application of organic substances, bio inoculum of AMF and 50% of the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers; lead to the enhancement of nutrients content, reproductive characteristics and plant yield. Generally, combination of both shading and INM showed positive effects on plants nutrient status and persisting balance on tomato flowering growth and fruits yield.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Camino Gutiérrez-Corbo ◽  
Bárbara Domínguez-Asenjo ◽  
María Martínez-Valladares ◽  
Yolanda Pérez-Pertejo ◽  
Carlos García-Estrada ◽  
...  

Diseases caused by trypanosomatids (Sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis) are a serious public health concern in low-income endemic countries. These diseases are produced by single-celled parasites with a diploid genome (although aneuploidy is frequent) organized in pairs of non-condensable chromosomes. To explain the way they reproduce through the analysis of natural populations, the theory of strict clonal propagation of these microorganisms was taken as a rule at the beginning of the studies, since it partially justified their genomic stability. However, numerous experimental works provide evidence of sexual reproduction, thus explaining certain naturally occurring events that link the number of meiosis per mitosis and the frequency of mating. Recent techniques have demonstrated genetic exchange between individuals of the same species under laboratory conditions, as well as the expression of meiosis specific genes. The current debate focuses on the frequency of genomic recombination events and its impact on the natural parasite population structure. This paper reviews the results and techniques used to demonstrate the existence of sex in trypanosomatids, the inheritance of kinetoplast DNA (maxi- and minicircles), the impact of genetic exchange in these parasites, and how it can contribute to the phenotypic diversity of natural populations.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Leonardo Vieira Nunes ◽  
Marco Thúlio Saviatto Duarte ◽  
Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira ◽  
Renato Nery Soriano ◽  
...  

Naturally occurring biological entities with extractable and tunable structural and functional characteristics, along with therapeutic attributes, are of supreme interest for strengthening the twenty-first-century biomedical settings. Irrespective of ongoing technological and clinical advancement, traditional medicinal practices to address and manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are inefficient and the effect of the administered therapeutic cues is limited. The reasonable immune response or invasion should also be circumvented for successful clinical translation of engineered cues as highly efficient and robust bioactive entities. In this context, research is underway worldwide, and researchers have redirected or regained their interests in valorizing the naturally occurring biological entities/resources, for example, algal biome so-called “treasure of untouched or underexploited sources”. Algal biome from the marine environment is an immense source of excellence that has also been demonstrated as a source of bioactive compounds with unique chemical, structural, and functional features. Moreover, the molecular modeling and synthesis of new drugs based on marine-derived therapeutic and biological cues can show greater efficacy and specificity for the therapeutics. Herein, an effort has been made to cover the existing literature gap on the exploitation of naturally occurring biological entities/resources to address and efficiently manage IBD. Following a brief background study, a focus was given to design characteristics, performance evaluation of engineered cues, and point-of-care IBD therapeutics of diverse bioactive compounds from the algal biome. Noteworthy potentialities of marine-derived biologically active compounds have also been spotlighted to underlying the impact role of bio-active elements with the related pathways. The current review is also focused on the applied standpoint and clinical translation of marine-derived bioactive compounds. Furthermore, a detailed overview of clinical applications and future perspectives are also given in this review.


1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1345-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
J B Silkworth ◽  
J F Brown

Abstract Humans are exposed daily to low concentrations of many different chemical substances, natural and some man-made. Although many of these substances can be toxic at high levels, typical exposures are far below the effect levels. The responses produced by man-made aromatic hydrocarbon receptor agonists, such as dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are also produced, often to greater extents [corrected], by naturally occurring constituents of fried meat, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cocoa, and curry. Our society seems to be concerned about the health risks associated only with the synthetic chemicals, regardless of their proportional contribution to the total agonist activity, and regulates on the basis of such concerns. It would be more protective of the public health to determine acceptable concentrations for each type of response, regardless of the origin of the inducing agent, and issue advisories or regulations accordingly.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Stefan Cristian Prazaru ◽  
Giulia Zanettin ◽  
Alberto Pozzebon ◽  
Paola Tirello ◽  
Francesco Toffoletto ◽  
...  

Outbreaks of the Nearctic leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata represent a threat to vinegrowers in Southern Europe, in particular in North-eastern Italy. The pest outbreaks are frequent in organic vineyards because insecticides labeled for organic viticulture show limited effectiveness towards leafhoppers. On the other hand, the naturally occurring predators and parasitoids of E. vulnerata in vineyards are often not able to keep leafhopper densities at acceptable levels for vine-growers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of two generalist, commercially available predators, Chrysoperla carnea and Orius majusculus, in suppressing E. vulnerata. Laboratory and semi-field experiments were carried out to evaluate both species’ predation capacity on E. vulnerata nymphs. The experiments were conducted on grapevine leaves inside Petri dishes (laboratory) and on potted and caged grapevines (semi-field); in both experiments, the leaves or potted plants were infested with E. vulnerata nymphs prior to predator releases. Both predator species exhibited a remarkable voracity and significantly reduced leafhopper densities in laboratory and semi-field experiments. Therefore, field studies were carried out over two growing seasons in two vineyards. We released 4 O. majusculus adults and 30 C. carnea larvae per m2 of canopy. Predator releases in vineyards reduced leafhopper densities by about 30% compared to the control plots. Results obtained in this study showed that the two predators have a potential to suppress the pest density, but more research is required to define appropriate predator–prey release ratios and release timing. Studies on intraguild interactions and competition with naturally occurring predators are also suggested.


Plant Disease ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 91 (11) ◽  
pp. 1423-1429 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Mailhot ◽  
J. J. Marois ◽  
D. L. Wright

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fiber is sometimes affected by hardlock, which is characterized by a failure of the fiber to expand outward from the boll at maturity. Because affected fiber is inaccessible to mechanical harvesters, yield loss can be considerable. Hardlock has been linked to infection by Fusarium verticillioides. The involvement of flower thrips (Frankliniella spp.), which are commonly found in cotton flowers, was explored. At 1100 h, approximately 10% of cotton flowers contained thrips that were carrying F. verticillioides. The effect of thrips and/or Fusarium in flowers and bolls was explored under greenhouse conditions. Exposing flowers to Fusarium and thrips resulted in bolls with the most severe symptoms. Exposure to either Fusarium or thrips alone resulted in more hardlock than was noted in the control group. The impact of thrips was also evaluated under field conditions. Field plots were treated with insecticides, a fungicide, both, or left untreated. Insecticides reduced thrips numbers and reduced hardlock severity. The fungicide had no impact on thrips numbers and was less effective at reducing hardlock. Combining insecticide and fungicide applications was no more effective than using insecticides alone, although it more frequently increased yield. The untreated control plots generally had the most severe hardlock and lowest yields. Reducing hardlock severity resulted in higher yields, although not consistently. These studies suggest that thrips increase the severity of hardlock, and reducing their numbers may diminish hardlock severity.


MRS Bulletin ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Grossman ◽  
I. Gouzman ◽  
R. Verker

AbstractIn the last 40 years, the increased space activity created a new form of space environment of hypervelocity objects—space debris—that have no functional use. The space debris, together with naturally occurring ultrahigh velocity meteoroids, presents a significant hazard to spacecraft. Collision with space debris or meteoroids might result in disfunction of external units such as solar cells, affecting materials properties, contaminating optical devices, or destroying satellites. The collision normally results in the formation of additional debris, increasing the hazard for future missions. The hypervelocity debris effect is studied by retrieving materials from space or by using ground simulation facilities. Simulation facilities, which include the light gas gun and Laser Driven Flyer methods, are used for studying the materials degradation due to debris impact. The impact effect could be accelerated when occurring simultaneously with other space environment components, such as atomic oxygen, ultraviolet, or x-ray radiation. Understanding the degradation mechanism might help in developing materials that will withstand the increasing hazard from the space debris, allowing for longer space missions. The large increase in space debris population and the associated risk to space activity requires significant measures to mitigate this hazard. Most current efforts are being devoted to prevention of collisions by keeping track of the larger debris and avoiding formation of new debris.


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 620 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. L. Blair ◽  
G. R. Stirling

Damage to sugarcane caused by root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) is well documented in infertile coarse-textured soils, but crop losses have never been assessed in the fine-textured soils on which more than 95% of Australia’s sugarcane is grown. The impact of nematodes in these more fertile soils was assessed by repeatedly applying nematicides (aldicarb and fenamiphos) to plant and ratoon crops in 16 fields, and measuring their effects on nematode populations, sugarcane growth and yield. In untreated plant crops, mid-season population densities of lesion nematode (Pratylenchus zeae), root-knot nematode (M. javanica), stunt nematode (Tylenchorhynchus annulatus), spiral nematode (Helicotylenchus dihystera) and stubby-root nematode (Paratrichodorus minor) averaged 1065, 214, 535, 217 and 103 nematodes/200 mL soil, respectively. Lower mean nematode population densities were recorded in the first ratoon, particularly for root-knot nematode. Nematicides reduced populations of lesion nematode by 66–99% in both plant and ratoon crops, but control of root-knot nematode was inconsistent, particularly in ratoons. Nematicide treatment had a greater impact on shoot and stalk length than on shoot and stalk number. The entire community of pest nematodes appeared to be contributing to lost productivity, but stalk length and final yield responses correlated most consistently with the number of lesion nematodes controlled. Fine roots in nematicide-treated plots were healthier and more numerous than in untreated plots, and this was indicative of the reduced impact of lesion nematode. Yield responses averaged 15.3% in plant crops and 11.6% in ratoons, indicating that nematodes are subtle but significant pests of sugarcane in fine-textured soils. On the basis of these results, plant-parasitic nematodes are conservatively estimated to cost the Australian sugar industry about AU$82 million/annum.


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