How omnivory affects the survival and choices of earwig Doru luteipes (Scudder) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae)?

Doru luteipes (Scudder, 1876) is an omnivorous predator that finds different food resources in the corn plant: eggs of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797), uredospores of Puccinia polysora (Underw, 1897), and pollen. Knowing the survival and food preferences of this predator is essential to define its relevance as a biological control agent. We hypothesize that the foraging behavior and predatory capacity of D. luteipes may be affected when several food resources, especially eggs of S. frugiperda, uredospores of P. polysora, and pollen are concurrently in the same plant. The survival of D. luteipes in the nymph stage and their preference among food resources, often available in corn plants, were determined. To verify the survival of D. luteipes, newly hatched nymphs were fed exclusively with 1- uredospores of P. polysora, 2- eggs of S. frugiperda, 3- corn pollen, 4- a combination of uredospores + eggs, and 5- artificial diet (control). In another experiment, nymphs and adults of D. luteipes with 24 and 48 hours of fasting were individually released in the center of a container with four diets: 1- uredospores of P. polysora, 2- eggs of S. frugiperda, 3- corn pollen, 4- artificial diet, and maintained for 10 minutes, to evaluate the food choice and feeding time. The exclusive feeding with S. frugiperda eggs caused low nymph survival (8%), but the combination of P. polysora uredospores + S. frugiperda eggs allowed 58.3% survival. D. luteipes preferred feeding during the nighttime and the most significant proportions of choices by nymphs and adults were for pollen and diet, with adults spending more time eating pollen. These findings indicate that the trophic choices of D. luteipes are relevant to understand its contribution as an agent to control pest insects and fungal diseases in corn.

Co-inoculation of Anabaena cylindrica and Azospirillum brasilense during initial growth and chloroplast pigments of corn

ABSTRACT Although the isolated effects of the cyanobacteria Anabaena cylindrica and the bacteria Azospirillum brasilense are well-known, the co-inoculation of both can promote other benefits to corn plants’ biological nitrogen fixation and growth. The aim was to evaluate the initial growth and chloroplast pigment levels of corn hybrids co-inoculated with A. brasilense and A. cylindrica. The experiment was conducted in greenhouse conditions using the completely randomized design in a factorial scheme 2 × 4 with two hybrids, Balu 184 and Balu 280 Pro, and four inoculation treatments: no inoculation, inoculation of A. cylindrica, inoculation of A. brasilense, and the co-inoculation of A. cylindrica + A. brasilense. Co-inoculation resulted in higher root growth and dry mass of the aerial part in both hybrids; however, the hybrid Balu 280 Pro presented higher responsivity. The co-inoculation of A. brasilense and A. cylindrica increased initial corn growth without altering the photosynthetic pigment levels.

TWO-COMPONENT HERBICIDE HORS D, KS FOR THE PROTECTION OF CORN CROPS

The research was carried out to assess the biological and economic effectiveness of the new two-component herbicide Hors D, KS (220 g/l dicamba (sodium salt) and 50 g/l nicosulfuron) of LLC “Agro Expert Group” on corn crops in Krasnodar Krai. The experiments were carried out in the field conditions of All-Russian Research Institute of Biological Plant Protection in 2018-2019 according to the methodological guidelines for registration tests of herbicides in agriculture. The soil is leached chernozem. The area of the plots is 25 m2, the repetition rate is 4 times, the flow rate of the working fluid is 200 l/ha. The experimental scheme included the use of the tested herbicide Hors D, KS in the application rates of 0.6; 0.8 and 1.2 l/ha. Carleone preparation was used as a standard, EC (0.3 and 0.6 l/ha) and control (without herbicides). The treatment was carried out in the phase of 3...5 leaves of the culture. The contamination of corn crops averaged 83 copies/m2. The herbicidal effect of the drugs was assessed by reducing the number and weight of weeds, as well as by the crop yield in comparison with the control. Weeds: common hedgehog, glaucous bristle, ragweed wormwood, tilted backward and Californian cocklebur showed a high sensitivity to drugs. The use of 0.6...1.2 l/ha of Hors D, KS led to an 80 ... 100% herbicidal effect. There was no negative effect of the drug for corn plants, crop yield increases were obtained, which amounted to 62.0...74.7% of the control. The obtained data for two years showed high biological and economic efficiency of the herbicide Hors D, KS against annual dicotyledonous and cereal weeds in corn crops

First report of Curvularia leaf spot of field corn, caused by Curvularia lunata, in Mississippi

In July 2021, foliar symptoms characterized by small, circular, light brown to tan lesions (0.5 to 3 mm diameter) with reddish-brown margins were observed on field corn (Zea mays L.) in two commercial fields in Hinds and Marion counties, Mississippi. Disease severity ranged from 2 to 15% on observed leaves. Symptomatic leaves were sealed in plastic bags, stored on ice, and transferred to the laboratory. Lesions were cut into small sections (≈4 mm2) and surface-sterilized with 70% ethanol for 30 s then rinsed with sterile water. Sterilized sections were transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with chloramphenicol (75 mg/liter) and streptomycin sulfate (125 mg/liter) and incubated at 25°C in the dark for 7 days. Gray to brown-black colonies with orange margins and melanized, curved conidia with three transverse septa were observed microscopically (Fig. 1; ×400). Conidia measurements ranged from 15 to 25 μm in length and 7.5 to 12.5 μm in width (x̄= 20 × 9.8 μm; n= 44). Colony and conidia morphology were consistent with previous descriptions of Curvularia lunata (Wakker) Boedijn (Mabadeje 1969; Ellis 1971). Pure cultures were obtained, and DNA was extracted from 9-day old cultures. Two isolates (TW003-21; TW008-21) were selected for sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region using ITS4 and ITS5 primers. The 530-bp consensus sequences were deposited in GenBank under the accession No. OK095277 and OK095278. BLASTn queries of NCBI GenBank showed that the sequences shared 100% identity with C. lunata isolate DMCC2087 from Louisiana (MG971304) and isolate CX-3 from China (KR633084). A pathogenicity test was performed on V4/V5 stage corn plants (Progeny 9114VT2P) grown in 10.2 cm pots in the greenhouse. Plants were transferred to a growth chamber one-week prior to inoculation. The two isolates were grown on amended PDA for 14 days at 25°C and an inoculum suspension was prepared for each isolate by rinsing culture plates with 2 ml of autoclaved reverse osmosis (RO) water amended with Tween 20 (0.01%) and re-suspended into 40 ml of RO water containing Tween 20. The final concentration was adjusted to 2.6×105 conidia/ml (TW003-21) and 2×105 conidia/ml (TW008-21). Ten corn plants were sprayed with 10 ml of inoculum suspension for each isolate using a Preval sprayer with a CO2 canister, and 10 plants were sprayed with water containing Tween 20 only. Plants were incubated in a growth chamber at ≈79% relative humidity and 25°C. Foliar symptoms including small, circular, and tan lesions, similar to those observed in the field, developed 3 days after inoculation. No symptoms were observed on control plants. Following incubation, symptomatic leaves were collected and C. lunata was re-isolated as described above. Colony, spore morphology and DNA sequences from inoculated plants were consistent with the original isolates as described above. The disease has been recently reported in Louisiana (Garcia-Aroca et al. 2018), Kentucky (Anderson et al. 2019), and Delaware (Henrickson et al. 2021). Although Curvularia leaf spot has been observed sporadically in MS corn fields since 2009 (Allen, personal communication), to our knowledge, this is the first official report of the disease in MS. While this disease has been more frequently encountered in MS, the economic impact associated with C. lunata is currently unknown. References Anderson, N. R., et al. 2019. Plant Dis. 103:2692. Chang, J., et al. 2020. J. Integr. Agr. 19:551-560. Ellis, M. B. 1971. Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, England, p. 452-458. Garcia-Aroca T., et al. 2018. Plant Health Prog. 19:140. Henrickson M., et al. 2021. Plant Dis. First Look. Mabadeje, S. A. 1969. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 52:267-271. † Indicates the corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Growth Enhancement, Uptake of N, P, K Nutrients and Production of Maize in an Entisol of Kalidawir, Tulungagung due to Application of Cow Manure Fertilizer and NPK Fertilizer

Entisols are newly formed soil types and are commonly found in Indonesia, with a distribution of ±3 million ha distribution. Entisol Kalidawir has a slightly acidic pH value of 5.8 and contains very low total-nitrogen (N) and available-phosphorus (P) nutrients, calcium (Ca), sodium (Na) and magnesium (Mg) in the exchangeable base are also low and clay loam texture. Low soil nutrients and organic matter can have an impact on plant growth and production Maize is one of the most widely cultivated food crops in Indonesia. The purpose of this study was to analyze various doses of the combination of cow manure and NPK fertilizer on N, P and potassium (K) uptake, growth and production of maize. The results showed that the application of 20 t ha-1 of cow manure and 400 kg ha-1 of NPK fertilizer at observations 27 and 54 days after planting increased growth in height and number of leaves of corn plants and increased nutrient uptake of N, P, and K, respectively. Also reached 1, 0.14, and 0.82 g plant-1 and 5.52, 0.83, and 5.11 g plant-1. In addition, it produces the highest corn production of 10.53 t ha-1.

Analysis of Land Suitability Level and Efficiency of Corn Farming Business in Kempo District, Dompu

The development of corn plants should pay attention to the level of land suitability and the resulting economic value. This study aims to evaluate the level of land suitability and efficiency of corn farming in Kempo District so that the results can be used as a reference in making agricultural decisions, especially for the development of corn plants. The research was conducted in the Kempo District, Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. The research method used is a survey method. The results showed that there was corn farming land cultivated in the land suitability class that was not suitable (N) of 9.30 ha (0.05%), according to marginal (S3) covering an area of ​​8,634.94 ha (45.05%), sufficient suitable (S2) covering an area of ​​6,841.55 (35.70%) and very suitable (S1) covering an area of ​​1,086.59 (5.67%). Corn farmers who cultivate land for corn farming in land suitability class N, farmers incur costs that are higher than the total revenue from corn, the average respondent loses, this is not realized by the farmers concerned, while the highest level of farming efficiency is shown in exploitation land class is very suitable (S1) followed by class S2 and then S3. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that farmers not cultivate corn on land that is categorized as unsuitable, while on land that is categorized as quite suitable (S2) and marginally suitable (S3), land engineering efforts are needed according to their respective limiting factors to increase the level of suitability be more suitable. While the highest level of farming efficiency was shown in the very appropriate class (S1), followed by the S2 class and then the S3 class

Does foliar nicotinamide application affect second crop corn (Zea mays)?

The largest corn yeld in Brazil is currently in the second harvest, which is the most susceptible period to climatic adversities occurring during the cycle. Thus, introducing beneficial elements for maintaining the adequate development of the plant can help producers in obtaining greater kernel yields. Among studied elements, nicotinamide has potential use since it is associated with accumulating secondary metabolites and manifesting defence metabolism in plants. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of nicotinamide applied in different doses (only once or in instalments) on the biometric and productive characteristics of corn. The treatments were composed by the number of nicotinamide applications (one or two) and five doses (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg L-1). Plant diameter, plant height, ear insertion height, leaf area and dry matter, yield and 100-kernel mass were evaluated. It was found that doses close to 100 mg L-1 resulted in increases in vegetative and reproductive development, regardless of the number of applications. In this way, foliar nicotinamide application positively influences the biometric and productive characteristics of second crop corn. Highlights The use of nicotinamide in corn plants improves its growth, yield components and grain yield. A single application of nicotinamide during vegetative stage V3 at a dose of 100 mg L-1 is sufficient to increase the leaf area of corn plants. Corn grain yield can be increased by 12.6% with a single application of nicotinamide. There was no need for two applications of nicotinamide in corn crop.

PENERAPAN TEKNOLOGI ALAT PENANAM BENIH JAGUNG TIPE ROW SEEDER DI KELOMPOK TANI SUKA MAJU UNTUK MENDUKUNG KETAHANAN PANGAN WILAYAH PERBATASAN KALIMANTAN UTARA

ABSTRAKPermasalahan yang dihadapi oleh Kelompok tani Suka Maju hingga saat ini yaitu masih menggunakan metode manual dalam proses penanaman benih jagung, hal ini membuat waktu pengerjaan lebih lama dan posisi lubang tidak sejajar dan presisi. Dampak dari dua hal tersebut yaitu akan menambah biaya tenaga kerja dan posisi jagung yang tidak sejajar ataupun berhimpitan akan membuat petumbuhan tanaman jagung tidak optimal. Pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk menerapkan teknologi alat penanam benih tipe row seeder untuk mengurangi jerih kerja petani pada saat proses penanaman benih khususnya tanaman jagung. Kegiatan PKM ini dilakukan di lahan Kelompok tani Suka Maju Kelurahan Juata Laut Kecamatan Tarakan Utara, Kota Tarakan. Kegiatan ini dibagi dalam beberapa tahapan yaitu survey, sosialisasi, pembuatan alat, bimbingan teknis serta evaluasi pelaksanaan dan keberlanjutan program oleh Kelompok Tani. Kegiatan PKM penerapan teknologi alat penanam tipe row seeder di kelompok tani Suka Maju berjalan dengan baik serta para petani bersemangat untuk mengaplikasikan alat penanam di setiap lahan mereka. Selain itu terjadi peningkatan efisiensi dalam proses budidaya tanaman jagung dikelompok tani suka maju yaitu proses penananam jagung bisa lebih cepat 45% dibandingkan pada saat penanaman benih jagung secara manual Kata kunci: penerapan; alat penanam benih jagung; tipe row seeder. ABSTRACTThe problem faced by the Suka Maju farmer group until now is that they still use manual methods in the process of planting corn seeds, this makes the processing time longer and the position of the planting holes is not parallel and precise. The impact of these two things is that it will increase labor costs and the position of corn that is not parallel or coincides will make corn plant growth not optimal. This service aims to apply row seeder type seed planter technology to reduce the labor of farmers during the seed planting process, especially for corn plants. This PKM activity was carried out on agricultural land belonging to the Suka Maju farmer group, Juata Laut Village, North Tarakan District, Tarakan City. This activity is divided into several stages, namely survey, socialization, tool making, technical guidance and evaluation of the implementation and sustainability of the program by the Farmer Group. The PKM activity for the application of row seeder type planter technology in the Suka Maju farmer group is going well and the farmers are excited to apply the planter in each of their lands. In addition, there is an increase in efficiency in the corn cultivation process in the advanced farmer group, namely the corn planting process can be 45% faster than when planting corn seeds manually. Keywords: application; corn seed planter; row seeder type.

Corn Disease Classification Using Transfer Learning and Convolutional Neural Network

Indonesia is an agricultural country with abundant agricultural products. One of the crops used as a staple food for Indonesians is corn. This corn plant must be protected from diseases so that the quality of corn harvest can be optimal. Early detection of disease in corn plants is needed so that farmers can provide treatment quickly and precisely. Previous research used machine learning techniques to solve this problem. The results of the previous research were not optimal because the amount of data used was slightly and less varied. Therefore, we propose a technique that can process lots and varied data, hoping that the resulting system is more accurate than the previous research. This research uses transfer learning techniques as feature extraction combined with Convolutional Neural Network as a classification. We analysed the combination of DenseNet201 with a Flatten or Global Average Pooling layer. The experimental results show that the accuracy produced by the combination of DenseNet201 with the Global Average Pooling layer is better than DenseNet201 with Flatten layer. The accuracy obtained is 93% which proves the proposed system is more accurate than previous studies.

EFFECTS OF VERMICOMPOST, CHEMICAL FERTILIZER AND DIFFERENT BIOPESTICIDES ON THE AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, SENSORY QUALITY AND GRAIN PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENTS OF CORN (ZEA MAYS)

This study was conducted to look for alternative measures to sustain the profitability of cultivating green corn by using different fertilizers and biopesticides. 2x5 factorial experiment in split-plot in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replication this was conducted at Brgy. Matikiw, Pakil Laguna fromDecember 2019 to March 2020. With the following treatments.A1 – vernicompost + urea and A2 –Chemical fertilizer, B1 – Control, B2 - Kakawate leaf extract (Gliricidiasepium), B3 - Makabuhay vine extract (Tinosporarumphii), B4 - Tagbak leave extract (Alipiniamalaccensis) and B5 - Acapulco leaf extract (Cassia alata).Result revealed that there was no interaction effect between biopesticide and fertilizer materials in growth and yield characteristics of corn plants. There is no interaction effect between biopesticide and different fertilizer materials on the growth characteristics in terms of number of days from sowing to emergence, silking to harvesting, weekly plant height and in all of parameter in yield components of green corn. The earliest emergence, earliest number of days from silking to harvesting, highest number of corn ear, highest biological yield, longest length were observed on the green corn with application of vermicompost + urea while earliest number of days from emergence to silking, tallest height, largest diameter, most number of corn kernels were observed on the green corn with application of farmers practice regardless of biopesticides. The study recommends further testing on the application of vermicompost + urea and acapulco, tagbak and kakawate leaf extracts at different levels of concentration is recommended.