Life cycle and morphometry of Rugose spiraling whitefly, Aleyrodicus rugioperculatus Martin (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on coconut

The present study investigated the biology and morphometric analysis of rugose spiralling whitefly (RSW), Aleyrodicus rugioperculatus on coconut under mini net house condition at Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University-Coimbatore during 2019-2020. The biology of rugose spiralling whitefly was studied by clip cage method and morphometrics were done using Leica image analyser. Total lifecycle of rugose spiraling whitefly was 56.23 ± 2.20 days. Developmental period of egg, nymphal, pupal and adult period was 8.47 ± 0.26, 17.46 ± 0.76, 10.30 ± 0.29 and 20.00 ± 1.00 days, respectively. In morphometrics, Length and width of egg (0.31 ± 0.01 mm and 0.11± 0.02 mm), nymphal (0.94 ± 0.01 mm and 0.82 ± 0.01 mm), pupal (1.23 ± 0.01 mm and 1.00 ± 0.01 mm) was recorded. A nymphal parasitoid, Encarsia guadeloupae can be potential natural enemy for effective management of rugose spiraling whitefly.

Larvicidal effect of Prosopis juliflora on Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

The aim of this work was to evaluate the larvicidal effect of aqueous extracts of Prosopis juliflora on A. aegypti. Oviposition traps (ovitramps) were used to obtain the insect's eggs. The test was carried out at the Agricultural Entomology Laboratory of the Federal University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil, with controlled temperature, humidity and photophase, using larvae in the 3º instar. The design used was completely randomized (DIC) with five doses (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g L-1) of the aqueous extract plus two control treatments (pyriproxifene at 0.01g L-1 and distilled water). The treatments were evaluated after 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 h of exposure of the larvae, being considered dead those that did not react to the mechanical stimulus of a clamp. The doses of 40 and 50 g L-1 of P. juliflora are effective in the mortality of A. aegypti larvae after 48 h of exposure, with greater efficiency (100% mortality) after 120 h. The lowest doses (10 and 20 g L-1) have low mortality efficiency, while the dose of 30 g L-1 causes satisfactory mortality after 148 h of exposure. The aqueous extract of the leaves of P. Juliflora (in doses of 40 and 50 g L-1) is effective in controlling A. aegypti.

Online learning for agricultural courses during COVID 19 : Students’ perceptions about its effectiveness

The coronavirus pandemic has imperilled the teaching-learning process, forcing to adapt to online modes from kindergarten to the tertiary level, globally. In this setting, a study was conducted among randomly selected 120 undergraduate agricultural science students of Kerala Agricultural University regarding their experience based perceptions on the online learning effectiveness for their courses. As per the results, online learning was considered effective in terms of learning material supply, ease of taking exams, cost-effectiveness, doubt clearance and learning flexibility while it was considered ineffective with regard to team feeling and motivation. Connectivity issues, technical problems and lack of interaction have negatively affected the interest and the attention span of the students. The social science subjects (Agricultural Extension and Home Science) were recorded as easier to study online, though the conceptual clarity was negatively impacted in Agricultural Economics and Statistics. Plant Pathology, Agricultural Entomology and Plant Breeding were counted as hard to learn online. This study tries to call for change management in the online teaching-learning process in agricultural education system so that the prevailing uncertainties due to pandemic can be overcome and the teaching-learning activities can be resumed with quality and effectiveness.

Agricultural entomology in the state of Acre: a historical overview and future challenges

In the state of Acre, Brazil, family-based agriculture is predominant and although it has less economic impact in relation to large-scale plantations, it is also subject to biological imbalances, such as the attack of pests, generating economic losses for producers. Phytosanitary knowledge in the state is still incipient and becomes an obstacle to production, often resulting in mistaken management decisions. In this context, this work aimed to present a history of research carried out in the field of Agricultural Entomology, especially in the areas of integrated management and biological control of pests of the most relevant crops grown in the Acre state. In this review, 55 scientific papers related to Agricultural Entomology were presented, 23 on new insect records and/or new insect associations with host plants, 16 on insect control using plant extracts from the Amazon region, 13 on integrated pest management and three on bioecology and population dynamics of pests in the state of Acre. Through this review, it is observed that research in the area of Agricultural Entomology in the state of Acre is characterized by basic research (surveys, registration of new species, bioecological and dynamic population studies). However, there has been a notable advance in scientific studies aimed at integrated pest management in the state in the past ten years. Still, there is a need to concentrate efforts on research aimed at prospecting and using Amazonian biodiversity (fauna and flora), which subsidize applied programs for integrated pest management of the main crops grown in the Acre state.