AbstractHeavy metals affect the health of organisms by bioaccumulation and causing oxidative stress. The content of heavy metals in liver, antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress markers in gills, liver, kidneys and muscles were determined in Catla catla in three districts of Malwa region of Punjab viz Ludhiana, Muktsar and Bathinda. The heavy metals like As, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cd were significantly more in liver of C. catla of Mukstar and Bathinda as compared to Ludhiana. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly higher and activity of glutathione reductase (GR) was significantly lower in all the tissues of fish from Muktsar and Bathinda compared to Ludhiana. Lipid peroxidation was significantly higher and reduced glutathione content was significantly lower in liver and muscles of fish from Muktsar and Bathinda. The content of heavy metals in liver of C. catla showed positive correlation with activities of SOD, catalase, GPx along with level of lipid peroxidation and negative correlation with activity of GR.
AbstractThe spectrophotometric study and the phytochemical analysis on the methanol extract of Parthenium hysterophorus have indicated the presence of phenols in fraction 3 which was isolated using a solvent system (hexane: ethyl acetate in the ratio of 1:4) and terpenoids in fraction 4 which were isolated using a solvent system (hexane: ethyl acetate in the ratio of 1:3). Bioefficacy tests have shown fractions 3 and 4 to be effective against sugar cane aphids and borers. Fraction 3 has shown maximum bioefficacy of 80% after 48 h and 100% after 60 h, while fraction 4 has shown maximum bioefficacy of 60% after 48 h and 100% after 72 h. The melting point, FTIR, HPLC, GC-MS/MS and spectrophotometer studies have confirmed the presence of gallic acid in fraction 3 and parthenin in fraction 4. Formulation of parthenin and gallic acid fractions when tested has shown positive bioefficacy against sugarcane aphids and stem borer.
AbstractEfficacy of newer insecticides against spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata was evaluated during late rabi, 2023-24. The results revealed that among all the treatments, the lowest mean larva per plant of 0.72, 0.98 and 1.10 with highest reduction in larval population of 87.0, 82.0 and 80.1% were recorded in chlorantraniliprole 10% + lambda-cyhalothrin 5% ZC, chlorantraniliprole 8.8% + thiamethoxam 17.5% SC and pyridalyl 10% EC, respectively. The least pod damage was recorded in chlorantraniliprole 10% + lambda-cyhalothrin 5% ZC (5.1%) which recorded highest yield (12.63 q ha1) and C:B ratio (1:1.93), followed by chlorantraniliprole 8.8% + thiamethoxam 17.5% SC (6.0%, 11.57 q ha-1 and 1: 1.78) and pyridalyl 10% EC (6.7%, 10.35 q ha1 and 1:1.6). Spinetoram 11.7% SC was found to be the least effective with highest mean larva per plant (2.26), lowest reduction (58.3%) and pod damage (10.9%).
AbstractWhitefly, Bemisia tabaci is a major pest of cotton crop under North Indian conditions. The field experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of different oils viz, Castor (Ricinus communis), Pongamia (Pongamia glabra), Sesame (Sesamum indicum), Neem (Azadirachta indica) and plant extracts namely Kor tuma (Citrullus colocynthis), Aak (Calotropis spp.), Dharek (Melia azedarach) against adults of whitefly along with standard checks afidopyropen and dinotefuran during Kharif 2022 and 2023. The results showed that above chemical insecticides (standard checks) consistently reduced whitefly populations, while biopesticides such as neem oil and kor tuma extract also showed significant efficacy during both seasons. No phytotoxic effects were observed with plant oil treatments. Kor tuma extract alongside neem oil demonstrated substantial efficacy against B. tabaci, show casing their potential as eco-friendly and effective alternatives to chemical insecticides.
AbstractEfficacy studies of chlorantraniliprole (Lumivia) as seed dresser at different concentrations of 3.38, 3.75, 4.13 and 4.50 g ai kg-1 seed, with soil application of standard check cartap hydrochloriode @ 750 g ai ha-1, was conducted during the year 2021-22 at Entomological Research Farm, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The results revealed that chlorantraniliprole as seed dresser @ 180 g ai ha-1 (4.5 g ai kg-1 seed) was effective upto 40 days after sowing for the management of stem borer in direct seeded rice and had recorded significantly lowest dead hearts, white ears during both the years of study with no phytotoxicity symptoms in the plants and without any harmful effect on the natural enemies.
AbstractSheath rot disease of rice is often found to be associated with other pests, making it difficult for the farmers to manage with only fungicides. The present study was conducted to know the exact cause of the disease in Western Odisha and provide a suitable management option with possible economic gain for the farmers. A location specific management strategy was formulated against the disease complex with high economic return. It suggests seed treatment with carboxin + thiram @ 0.75+0.75 g ai kg-1 seed along with spraying of propiconazole 25 EC @ 125 g ai ha-1 followed by fenpyroximate 5 EC @ 25 g ai ha-1, twice at 15 days interval starting from panicle initiation stage which reduced the disease incidence by 67.6% and increased the yield by 35.3% over control treatment with highest BC ratio of 2.24. The same also resulted in the highest increase of healthy grains (44.5%), lowest discoloured grains (22.2%) and highest decrease of normal (45.8%) and discoloured sterile spikelet (52.5%) compared to untreated control.
AbstractFluopyram, a systemic fungicide and a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor, used to control fungal diseases in more than 70 fruit and vegetable crops. The toxic effect of oral administration of two doses 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg bw/day of fluopyram on biochemical and histological alterations in kidney tissue of male and female rats and its amelioration with ginger extract (100 mg kg-1) was assessed. Histopathological alterations in kidneys of rats treated with 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg bw/day of fluopyram include glomerular degenerations, hemorrhage, intertubular congestion, degeneration of glomerulus and tubular epithelial degradation. Rats of both the sexes after treatment with 2.5 mg/kg bw/day of fluopyram showed a significant reduction in antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Rats treated with fluopyram and ginger extract showed improved histopathological changes and also showed decreased serum levels of malondialdehyde and increased serum levels of antioxidant enzymes in kidneys of rats. Thus, strong antioxidant activity of ginger mediates its protective effect against fluopyram induced kidney damage.
AbstractSpodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera), a highly polyphagous pest, causes significant economic losses with yield reductions ranging from 26–100% under severe infestation. This study aimed to develop and evaluate two formulations of Gloriosa superba L. seed extract tablet and edible-to-insect gel against S. litura under laboratory conditions. The tablet formulation showed dose-dependent activity, with maximum antifeedant effect and larval and pupal mortality at 20 and 15% concentrations, while higher doses primarily induced adult malformations, indicating insect growth regulatory effects. In contrast, the edible-to-insect gel formulation exhibited superior efficacy, recording the highest antifeedant activity (94.4%) and maximum larval (22.2%) and pupal (11.1%) mortality at 20% concentration. Efficacy decreased at concentrations above 20%, though moderate IGR activity persisted. Overall, the edible-to-insect gel at 20% emerged as the most promising formulation, combining strong feeding deterrence, insecticidal activity and developmental disruption. The results highlight the potential of G. superba seed–based formulations as stable, eco-friendly botanical insecticides and support further field validation for sustainable management of S. litura.
AbstractThe effect of oral administration of acephate on reproductive toxicity of female rats was assessed. The female rats were divided into four groups containing six rats each. Group I (T1) was given 1/10th of LD50 (866 mg kg-1 of body weight), Group II (T2) was given 1/50th of LD50, and Group III (T3) was given 1/25th of LD50 for 6 weeks by oral intubation. Group IV served as control and was given olive oil. The weight of uterus and oviduct decreased significantly in acephate treated groups, after 45 days of treatment. Estrous cycle showed non-significant variation with prolonged proestrous phase in treated groups as compared to control. Histological alterations were observed in the ovaries and uteri of treated rats as compared to control rats. Alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase enzymatic activity was found to decrease significantly in ovaries of treated rats. Total protein, cholesterol and phospholipids in ovaries of treated rats decreased significantly. The antioxidative enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) showed significant alterations in the ovaries of treated rats thus suggesting increased oxidative stress leading to damage in ovarian cells and affecting follicular development.
AbstractOver-expression of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) genes are regularly associated with insecticide resistance in resistant insects. The CYP426A1 gene, which had not previously been reported as over-expressed in L. striatellus strains, was studied to determine its catalytic role in degrading insecticides. Firstly, CYP426A1 gene was recombinantly expressed in Sf9 cells and the expressed target protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Subsequently, CYP426A1 protein was confirmed as a functional enzyme through CO-difference spectra analysis. Additionally, CYP426A1 favorably metabolize traditional model probe substrates viz p-nitroanisole, ethoxycoumarin and ethoxyresorufin to confirm its catalytic activity. Insecticides from various group were incubated with recombinant CYP426A1 to confirm its catalytic activity in degrading insecticides. The results demonstrated that only fipronil was degraded by CYP426A1, with no enzyme-catalyzed degradation observed for imidacloprid, deltamethrin, and chlorpyrifos. Thus, CYP426A1 contributes to the development of insecticide resistance in L. striatellus, despite not being previously over-expressed in resistant strains.
AbstractA two-year field investigation was conducted at the experimental farm to evaluate the efficacy of seven insecticides—malathion, novaluron, lambda-cyhalothrin, imidacloprid, quinalphos,fenazaquin and thiamethoxam against Helicoverpa armigera in tomato crops. Three dosage levels (1.25 times lower than the recommended, the recommended and double the recommended) were tested, with two applications per season at 10-day intervals. Among the treatments, T8-lambda-cyhalothrin @ 15 g ai ha-1 and T14-quinalphos @ 250 g ai ha-1 exhibited the highest efficacy, achieving pooled mean reductions of 83.8 and 82.8%, respectively. Notably, their recommended doses were as effective as double-dose treatments, suggesting minimal advantage from increased application rates. The lowest fruit damage was recorded in treatment T8 (9.4% in 2019 and 10.3% in 2020), followed by T14 (11.7% and 13.1%). In contrast, fenazaquin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid were the least effective. These findings underscore the importance of selecting appropriate insecticides and adhering to recommended dosages to ensure effective pest management while promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
AbstractAmong the various polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene are the predominant pollutants commonly detected in agricultural soils, primarily due to transportation emissions, atmospheric deposition and accidental spillages. To facilitate the degradation of these persistent pollutants, a lipopeptide-based biosurfactant was isolated from Lysinibacillus sp. MW444883 (Accession No.: NAIMCC-B-03918). The biosurfactant exhibited strong oil dispersion activity, showed no halo formation in the CTAB/methylene blue agar test, indicating the absence of glycolipid-type surfactants and produced blue and violet colour reactions with bromothymol blue and biuret tests, respectively, confirming its amino-containing (lipopeptide) nature. Its excellent emulsification property, as evidenced by oil fragmentation into fine droplets, enhanced the bioavailability of hydrophobic PAHs, making them more accessible for microbial degradation in soil. Biodegradation studies conducted in Inceptisol alkaline soil (Delhi soil) demonstrated degradation till 21 days and half-life ranging from 1.5-8.3 days for naphthalene, 7.4-14.2 days for fluorene, 6.1-22.6 days for phenanthrene and 12.3-27.2 days for pyrene under different treatment conditions involving oil, biosurfactant, and Kocuria rosea in comparison with native microbial activity. These findings highlight the potential of the Lysinibacillus derived lipopeptide biosurfactant as an effective bioremediation agent for the degradation of priority pollutant (PAHs) in agricultural soils.
AbstractMaize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereal crops grown worldwide and has better adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. An experiment was designed to evaluate the combi as well as sole formulations of some commonly used insecticides such as chlorantraniliprole 9.3% + lambda cyhalothrin 4.6% ZC, novaluron 5.25% + emamectin benzoate 0.9% SC, emamectin benzoate 5% SG, spinetoram 11.7% SC, flubendamide 480 SC, spinosad 45% SC against fall armyworm during the rabi season of two consecutive years (2021-22 and 2022-23) in Bihar. It was observed that plant infestation as well as cob infestation was significantly lower in plots where crops were sprayed with combi-formulation ie chlorantraniliprole + lambda cyhalothrin @ 23.0 + 11.5 g ai ha-1and novaluron + emamectin benzoate @ 52.5 + 9.0 g ai ha-1 as compared to plots where crops were sprayed with sole formulations of insecticides. As per the intensity of damage and yield, no significant difference was observed among the plots treated with either combi or sole formulations.
AbstractIndian mustard (B. juncea) is the most important species grown in India. Various diseases reported to occur on rapeseed mustard, white rust caused by Albugo candida is considered as one of the major disease due to its destructive nature and wide distribution. Efficacy of nine recommended and four new fungicides along with garlic extract in controlling the white rust disease in field, was studied. Metalaxyl + mancozeb and azoxystrobin were found highly effective in controlling white rust with no stag-head incidence, infection rate (100%) or AUDPC. Mancozeb (18.9%) and tebuconazole + trifloxystrobin (21.0%) reported significantly minimum disease index. Metalaxyl + mancozeb reported significantly maximum plant height (167.4 cm), number of primary branches (9.2 no.), number of secondary branches (16.9 no.), length of main raceme (55.5 no.), total pods on main raceme (52.4 cm), number of seeds/pod (10.34 no.) and pod length (4.38 cm).Metalaxyl+ mancozeb reported significantly maximum grain yield and test weight (2676.9 kg ha-1,5.74 g, respectively) followed by azoxystrobin (2568.5 kg ha-1, 5.14 g, respectively).
AbstractThe experiment aimed to evaluate the efficacy of eight insecticidal treatments against fall armyworm (FAW) on a sweet corn variety of maize. FAW abundance was consistently highest in the untreated control plot, while the combination treatment of tetraniliprole + chlorpyrifos + cypermethrin + Celastrus angulatus (Vayego 20 SC + Nitro 505 EC + Bio-chamak 1% EW) achieved the lowest FAW abundance (4.7±0.9) at 7 days post-treatment. This treatment also resulted in the most favorable plant growth parameters, including the greatest plant height (121.7±0.3 cm), base diameter (2.0±0.1 cm), number of nodes (11.3±0.3), leaves per plant (11.0±0.6), leaf length (61.7±0.3 cm) and leaf width (8.3±0.3 cm). Additionally, it produced the longest cobs (18.7±0.1 cm), largest cob diameter (4.0±0.1 cm), heaviest cob weight (210.7±3.8 g), highest number of grains per cob (521.7±15.0) and the greatest yield (13.3 tons ha-1). Laboratory bioassays revealed that tetraniliprole (Vayego 20 SC) exhibited the highest FAW larval mortality rates at 24, 48, and 72 h post-treatment (62.2±2.2, 74.4±7.2, and 82.2±9.7%, respectively). Among all treatments, tetraniliprole + chlorpyrifos + cypermethrin + Celastrus angulatus (Vayego 20 SC + Nitro 505 EC + Bio-chamak 1% EW) provided the highest benefit-cost ratio of 2.37, making it the most cost-effective solution for FAW management, making it a highly effective and economically viable option for sustainable pest management in maize cultivation.
AbstractA field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Dharwad during 2021-22 using Jadoo BG II cotton (Monsanto), with plots divided into protected and unprotected subplots. Insecticide sprays of NSKE 5% (5 mL L-1), profenophos 50 EC (500 g ai ha-1), spinetoram 11.7 SC (58.5 g ai ha-1) and Lambda-cyhalothrin 5 EC (12.5 g ai ha-1) were planned. The fourth spray was terminated as pests fell below economic threshold level (ETL). Results demonstrated a significant reduction in green boll damage from 8.8 to 42.0% in protected plots, compared to an increase from 42.5 to 76.3% in unprotected plots. Pink bollworm incidence per 25 bolls dropped from 4.3 to 15.0 larvae in protected plots, whereas it escalated to 29.1 larvae in unprotected ones. The percentage of good opened bolls was significantly higher in protected plots (86.9%) compared to unprotected plots (42.2%). Consequently, the seed cotton yield in protected plots reached 19.76 q ha-1, substantially higher than the 13.01 q ha-1 recorded in unprotected plots, resulting in a 30.4% avoidable yield loss. The economic analysis showed a benefit-cost ratio of 1.29 in protected plots, compared to unprotected plots (0.91). The findings highlight that while Bt cotton offers initial protection, supplementary insecticide applications are essential for maximizing yield and economic returns in areas with high pest pressure.
AbstractField studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate (Supremo 50 SP) @ 300, 400 and 500 g ai ha-1 against stem borer and leaf folder infesting basmati/non-basmati rice in four research trials (2 on basmati and 2 on non-basmati), conducted during Kharif 2022 season. The test molecule was compared with the standard checks, flubendiamide (Fame 480 SC 39.35%) @ 24 g ai ha-1 and chlorantraniliprole (Coragen 18.5 SC) @ 30 g ai ha-1. An untreated control was also kept for comparison. Overall, a reduction of 83.7% dead hearts was recorded in thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate (Supremo 50 SP) @ 500 g ai ha-1 after 10 days of insecticide application(DAA), which was comparable to the checks, flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole with 82.9 and 82.3% reduction over the untreated control, respectively. After 10 DAA, thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate @ 500 g ai ha-1 recorded 1.95% overall mean leaf folder damaged leaves; statistically at par with the checks flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole (1.92 and 1.90% mean damaged leaves, respectively). The test compound was found to be relatively safer to spiders and the population of spiders ranged from 0.57 to 0.71 per hill at 10 days after insecticide application.
AbstractTwo series of prenylated chalcones were synthesized and evaluated for their nematicidal potential against Meloidogyne incognita under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The in vitro nematicidal study revealed that the compound 2’-Hydroxy-3-bromo-5’-O-prenylchalcone (6F) was found most active against M. incognita, with LC50 values of 17.2, 9.2 and 4.7 mgL-1 after 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively, followed by 2’-Hydroxy-3-chloro-5’-O-prenylchalcone (6D), 2’-Hydroxy-4-bromo-5’-O-prenylchalcone (6E), and 2’-Hydroxy-2,6-dichloro-5’-O-prenylchalcone (6B). The four compounds found most effective under in vitro nematicidal study, along with fluopyrum (Velum Prime 34.48% SC) were evaluated for nematicidal activity in pot cultured tomatoes. The compounds were undertaken for pot study at 3 different concentrations viz 1000, 500 and 250 mg L-1, by soil drenching and root dipping methods. The in vivo study was carried out in net house condition during Kharif season 2023-24. The study revealed that all plant growth parameters were positively influenced by these compounds. The activity was higher in soil drenching compared to root dipping method.
AbstractAn experiment was conducted for the first time to understand the population dynamics of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on potato crop in eastern Uttar Pradesh and also to study the effect of different novel insecticides against this pest during 2024-25. Population of whitefly, which is an important vector of potato apical leaf curl virus disease (PALCVD), was monitored daily on 100 compound leaves from 34 potato plants of variety Kufri Pukhraj. The results revealed high whitefly population in the range of 23.5-36.2 whiteflies/100 compound leaves during November 2024, which declined progressively as the winter season commenced. Coccinellid beetles were recorded at the time of high whitefly activity in potato crop. The correlation analysis also revealed strong positive correlation between whitefly population and ambient temperature condition.The future events of rising ambient temperature likely to increase whitefly population and cause colossal yield losses in potato crop. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the efficacy of novel insecticides against this insect pest. The single spray application of flupyradifurone 200 SL caused maximum overall reduction in whitefly population (88.5%) followed by diafenthiuron 50 WP (83.8%).
