Late leaf spot (LLS), caused by Phaeoisariopsis personata is one of the major foliar diseases limiting groundnut productivity. Host-plant resistance is considered an important component of sustainable management of the disease. The present investigation was conducted at the Research Farm, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, RVSKVV, Gwalior, M.P. during kharif, 2025 to study the inheritance pattern of late leaf spot resistance using modified 1-9 disease-rating scale in different generations of groundnut. Four crosses, viz., TG-86 × DH-245, TG-86 × DH-257, Nitya Harita × DH-245 and Nitya Harita × DH-257, were evaluated along with their parental genotypes in F1 , F2 , BC1 and BC2 generations. The male parents, DH-245 and DH-257 exhibited resistance to late leaf spot. The female parent Nitya Harita and TG-86 were found to be susceptible to LLS. Among the progenies, the F2 and BC2 generations of Nitya Harita × DH-257 recorded the lowest disease score of 1. Nitya Harita × DH-245 also showed a comparatively stable resistant reaction, with scores of 3 in F1 , F2 and BC2 . The TG-86-based crosses exhibited greater variation among generations and generally had higher disease scores.
The paper describes for the first time the diversity, distribution and traditional practices of the genus Rauvolfia (Apocynaceae) among indigenous tribes and Ranchi community of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in great detail. In these Islands the genus is represented by 3 species viz., Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. Ex Kurz, R. sumatrana Jack and R. tetraphylla L. A key for the identification of species occurring in India is also provided.
The efficacy of plant- and microbial-origin pesticides against chrysanthemum aphid, Macrosiphoniella sanborni, was evaluated during Kharif 2023 and 2024. Seven treatments comprising microbial pesticides (Metarhizium rileyi, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Lecanicillium lecanii) and botanicals (Azadirachtin, Karanjin and Annonin) were compared with an untreated control. Aphid population was recorded at 3, 7 and 14 days after spraying (DAS). During Kharif 2023, L. lecanii 1.15% WP was consistently the most effective treatment, recording the lowest mean aphid population of 7.34 aphids/3 cm twig after the first spray and 4.76 aphids/3 cm twig after the second spray. B. bassiana 1.15% WP was the next most effective treatment. During Kharif 2024, L. lecanii again showed superior performance, particularly at 7 and 14 DAS. The results indicate that L. lecanii 1.15% WP and B. bassiana 1.15% WP have good potential for managing chrysanthemum aphid under field conditions.
The present investigation was undertaken to assess heterosis and gene action for yield and its contributing traits in bottle gourd. Using the line × tester mating design, this study investigated the Heterosis and Gene Action for yield-related traits in bottle gourd. In summer season of 2024, at the Vegetable farm, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kalyanpur, Kanpur (U. P.), evaluated thirty crossings derived from ten lines and three testers. The tests were conducted using a randomised block design with 3 replications, 30 F1 ’s and their 13 parents were evaluated. Significant heterotic variation was seen among the hybrids. Heterobeltiosis in fruit length ranged from -32.30 to 16.03%, with SBC/DRB-206-1 × Pusa Naveen having the highest positive heterosis. Fruit circumference showed heterobeltiosis ranging from -24.76 to 54.19%, with VRBG-21 × Kalyanpur Long Green having the highest positive value. Fruit weight showed heterobeltiosis from -32.73 to 34.97%, with the highest being SBC/DRB-201-1 × Kashi Ganga. Heterobeltiosis varied from -27.23 to 25.11%, with VRBG-21 × Kashi Ganga outperforming other varieties. VRBG-21 × Kashi Ganga had the most heterobeltiosis, whereas VRBG-21 × Kalyanpur Long Green had the highest standard heterosis (49.25%). Fruit yield per plant varied from -50.04 to 52.60%. For yield traits, SCA variance was greater than GCA variance, suggesting a predominance of non-additive gene action. The superior hybrids found could be helpful for heterosis breeding and bottle gourd production enhancement.
Thirty-four chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes were characterised for agro-morphological variability using 20 DUS descriptors as per PPV&FRA guidelines. Out of which, seven were monomorphic, seven dimorphic, four trimorphic and two were found to be polymorphic. Seed colour showed the highest level of polymorphism with six expression states, while foliage colour also showed good amount of variation. Gower dissimilarity based on 13 variable descriptors ranged from 0.000 to 0.846, with a mean value of 0.447, indicating substantial phenotypic variation among the genotypes. Hierarchical clustering grouped the genotypes into two major clusters, which was further supported by silhouette analysis, where the highest coefficient was observed at k = 2 (0.319). The first two coordinates of the Principal Coordinate Analysis totalled up to 47.09% of the total positive-eigenvalue variation and which also was comparable to the cluster analysis. The study showed that DUS descriptors, when combined with multivariate analyses, can effectively reveal phenotypic diversity and help in the identification and characterisation of chickpea germplasm. The identified contrasting genotypes can be further used formapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs), developing mapping populations and identifying diverse parents for hybridization to maximize genetic variability.
