The Philippines' Agricultural Training Institute (Filipino: Surian ng Pasanayang Pang-agrikultura, abbreviated as ATI), is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Agriculture responsible for training agricultural extension workers and their clientele; conducting multi-level training programs to promote and accelerate rural development; and ensuring that research results are communicated to the farmers through appropriate training and extension activities.
The cassava whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a threat to cassava production as a pest and a vector of viruses that cause devastating cassava mosaic (CMD) and cassava brown streak (CBSD) diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of neem oil treatments and insecticides against the cassava whitefly. Field plot experiments were conducted to evaluate neem oil products in 2022/2023 and neem oil combined with cutting dipping in a 'MandiPlus' formulation (containing Thiamethoxam, Fludioxonil & Metalaxyl-M) in 2023/2024. MandiPlus was applied once as a cutting dip at planting, while neem oil products were sprayed on a monthly basis up to 6 months after planting. The experimental design for field experiments was a randomised complete block design with four replicates. The data recorded for field experiments were on whitefly adult and nymph numbers, CMD and CBSD incidence and severity, and root yield. Neem oil treatments alone reduced whitefly adults and nymphs by 45%-70%, MandiPlus alone gave reductions of 68%-74% and MandiPlus + Neem gave a reduction of 70%. CMD (35%-54%) and CBSD (46%-100%) incidences at 6 months did not differ from control. Root yield increased by 1.8-2.0 kg/plant (78%-87%) in treatments incorporating MandiPlus, while neem oils provided a gain of 0.4-1.9 kg/plant (17%-56%). These findings confirm that the application of MandiPlus through cutting dips is effective at reducing whitefly populations and increasing yield. The application of neem oils alone conferred a significant yield gain in one season but combining with MandiPlus did not confer additive protection and yield gain. Cutting dipping in insecticides is therefore recommended for adoption as a component of integrated pest management for the control of whiteflies and the viruses that they transmit.
Aflatoxin contamination in stored crops poses a serious threat to public health and food safety, particularly in tropical regions where warm, humid conditions favour fungal growth. Cassava, a staple in many developing countries, is vulnerable to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination during storage, necessitating effective mitigation strategies. This study evaluated the efficacy of sodium metabisulphite (NaMBS) sheets, which slowly release sulphurdioxide (SO2), in reducing aflatoxigenic fungal load and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) concentrations in cassava chips (sliced pieces of cassava root used for cassava flour production). Storage trials were conducted in three Ugandan districts with contrasting climates, using two bag types: traditional polypropylene and hermetic Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags-with and without NaMBS. The study employed a three-way factorial randomized complete block design (bag type, NaMBS treatment, and district). Fungal load and AFB1 were monitored for 30 days using DG-18 media and LC-MS/MS, respectively. Aspergillus section Flavi showed the highest initial fungal load (3.57 x 10(6) cfu/g), which significantly (P < 0.01) decreased after NaMBS treatment. A significant bag x NaMBS interaction (P < 0.001) was observed, with PICS bags consistently outperforming traditional bags. District climate did not significantly affect fungal counts (P = 0.06) but strongly influenced AFB1 levels (P < 0.01). Untreated traditional bags showed the highest AFB1 (146.6 mu g/kg), while NaMBS-treated PICS bags reduced AFB1 to 0.23 mu g/kg, representing up to 99.9 % reduction. These findings provide foundational evidence that NaMBS sheets can effectively suppress aflatoxigenic fungi and reduce AFB1 contamination in cassava stores. Further work should assess residual NaMBS safety and consumer acceptability.
Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the primary sources of affordable protein and edible oil, globally. However, biotic and abiotic factors pose critical threats to its production both in the field and in storage. Adzuki bean beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) is one of the most economically important storage insect pests of legumes, including soybeans, that cause tremendous grain damage and weight loss. However, research efforts on the evaluation of soybean varietal resistance for the management of the pest have been limited. This study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate and screen soybean-released varieties for their resistance to adzuki bean beetles. Twenty-three soybean varieties were evaluated under laboratory conditions in a no-choice experiment. The experiment was set up in an RCBD with three replications. Data collected include number of eggs laid, number of adult bruchid emergence and median development time, while Dobie's Susceptibility Index (DSI) was used to classify the varieties as resistant or susceptible. The results revealed highly significant differences (P < 0.001) among the screened soybean varieties for number of eggs, adult emergence, susceptibility index, seed damage, and weight loss. The percentage seed damage was positively and significantly correlated with percent weight loss, number of holes per total seed, number of adult bruchids emerged, and Dobie susceptibility index, but negatively and significantly correlated with median developmental periods. Dobie susceptibility index revealed that about13 % of the varieties were categorized as resistant, while 34.8 % were moderately resistant, 43.5 % susceptible, and the remaining 8.7 % highly susceptible against C. chinenesis. The varieties categorized as resistant include Gute-19, Melkobonsa, and Bilo-19, which can serve as sources of desirable genes of resistance and are expected to immensely contribute to the reduction of postharvest losses in storage due to the pest.
Preferential flow (PF) is a relatively rapid water movement that significantly impacts geophysical processes. However, identifying PF and its environmental control mechanisms remains challenging, primarily due to soil spatial heterogeneity. In this study, 20 sensors were installed on two hillslopes with distinct soil thicknesses to monitor moisture at 5‐min intervals. PF types were identified based on moisture response sequence to rainfall across layers, and relationships among PF frequency (PFF), soil depth, and rainfall characteristics were determined. Macropore flow was the main PF type, followed by soil‒bedrock interface flow. On the hillslope with deep soil cover, PFF was significantly negatively correlated with soil depth. Comparison, on the hillslope with shallow soil cover, PFF was not influenced by soil depth but more notably controlled by rainfall intensity and antecedent soil moisture. Accordingly, these findings highlight the critical roles of the soil thickness in shaping PF characteristics.
Unraveling how agricultural management practices affect soil biota network complexity and stability and how these changes relate to soil processes and functions is critical for the development of sustainable agriculture. However, our understanding of these knowledge still remains unclear. Here, we explored the effects of soil management intensity on soil biota network complexity, stability, and soil multifunctionality, as well as the relationships among these factors. Four typical land use types representing a gradient of disturbance intensity were selected in calcareous and red soils in southwest China. The four land use types with increasing disturbance intensity included pasture, sugarcane farmland, rice paddy fields, and maize cropland. The network cohesion, the network topological features (e.g., average degree, average clustering coefficient, average path length, network diameter, graph density, and modularity), and the average variation degree were used to evaluate the strength of interactions between species, soil biota network complexity, and the network stability, respectively. The results showed that intensive soil management increased species competition and soil biota network complexity but decreased soil biota network stability. Soil microfauna (e.g., nematode, protozoa, and arthropoda) stabilized the entire soil biota network through top-down control. Soil biota network stability rather than soil biota network complexity or soil biodiversity predicted the dynamics of soil multifunctionality. Specifically, stable soil communities, in both the entire soil biota network and selected soil organism groups (e.g., archaea, bacteria, fungi, arthropoda, nematode, protozoa, viridiplantae, and viruses), support high soil multifunctionality. In particular, soil microfauna stability had more contributions to soil multifunctionality than the stability of soil microbial communities. This result was further supported by network analysis, which showed that modules 1 and 4 had greater numbers of soil microfauna species and explained more variation of soil multifunctionality. Our study highlights that soil biota network stability should be considered a key factor in improving agricultural sustainability and crop productivity in the context of increasing global agricultural intensification.
