Entisol soil is hard and compact in nature, rendering it high in bulk density, which influences root penetration adversely and thereby poor plant growth. In this experiment, used seven treatments in different combination in normal soil, were used as growth media for the Terminalia arjuna seedling. T3 (60% entisol) found the best as it gave the highest biomass in the species regardless of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) treatment. AMF treatment enhanced the growth and biomass of plants significantly in all the given treatments. AMF colonization observed a maximum in tertiary roots. T1 (100% entisol soil) exhibited the highest degree of AMF colonization in tertiary roots, resulting in the highest mycorrhiza dependency of plants for this soil. The addition of normal soil to entisol soil was found to decrease the bulk density, resulting in increased root diameter, and T3 plants exhibited the highest biomass and AMF compatibility for T. arjuna species. The T. arjuna plant’s growth and biomass responded positively to AMF in all types of treatments. The plant’s growth and biomass were highest in the T3 treatment, which had a bulk density of 1.50 g/cm3. In this study, we combined the entisol with mycorrhizal inoculation of the nursery growing medium to promote plant growth and biomass, improve the plant’s ability to hold water and absorb nutrients, and lower the entisol’s bulk density. The T. arjuna (Roxb) plant responds very favorably to mycorrhiza inoculation in nursery conditions with the entisol growth medium.

Terminalia arjuna (Roxb) Wight & Arn is a tropical evergreen woody tree endemic to India that grows along river banks and canals. It has a significant medicinal value, particularly for heart disorders, where tree bark is used to treat circulatory ailments. The stiff seed coat is a key impediment to obtaining good and uniform germination, particularly in inert and low-moisture-holding capacity growing media such as coal-burned fly ash. The current study was designed to look into the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on seed germination and seedling growth in Terminalia arjuna using fly ash as a growing medium. The 360 seeds were sown in two sets, for each treatment used in mycorrhizae and control without mycorrhiza inoculation. The results showed that seeds germinated with mycorrhiza inoculation had higher germination (77.77%), germination capacity (83.88%), germination energy (19.44%), germination value (24.16%), mean daily germination (9.33 seeds), peak value (2.59), cumulative germination (77.77%), and germination speed (23.40%) than seeds germinated without mycorrhiza inoculation. The use of mycorrhizal fungi in fly ash showed promising results, which could serve as a foundation for fly ash restoration and stability programs utilizing Terminalia arjuna as one of the powerful trees.

Aquilaria malaccensis, categorized by IUCN as globally vulnerable, is in high demand in the Middle East and Asian markets for its unique resinous agarwood. In August 2015, symptoms of dieback were observed on A.malaccensis trees planted in the Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Garden, Panbari, Golaghat of the Assam Forest Department. The entire crowns of 70 trees showed complete leaf loss and severe dieback. Rotting at the collar region and of roots was also observed. Isolation from the infected roots consistently yielded Fusarium equiseti identified following standard laboratory procedures and analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence of the ribosomal DNA. Symptoms of wilt, dieback and root rot were observed on 5-month-old Aquilaria seedlings 25days after inoculation with the isolated fungus. This paper is the first report of F.equiseti causing wilt and dieback of A.malaccensis.

Leaf blight is the most devastating disease of Java Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) in North east India. The pathogen was isolated and identified as Curvularia andropogonis. A total of 6 Trichodema isolates were recovered from forest soil and tested against the target pathogen. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among Trichoderma isolates in checking the mycelial growth of C. andropogonis in dual culture, inverted plate and culture filtrate assay (P<0.05). Two potential Trichoderma isolates were identified as T. asperellum and T. virens using sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA. Both the species were found more effective and significantly inhibited the growth of the test pathogen in vitro. Our results suggest appealing application possibilities of Trichoderma isolates in the biological management of leaf blight disease of Java Citronella.

The last decade has witnessed significant progress in nanotechnology and its application in diverse fields. This growing interest has also been intensified in agriculture sector, which is evident from the publication of interesting scientific articles and lodging of patent applications, showing the relevance of nanotechnology in sustainable crop production. Crop losses due to plant pathogens, insects and weeds are a considerable challenge that the current agricultural production system faces worldwide. This article depicts the use of nanoparticles that paves the way for developing novel crop protection products in near future. Owing to the fact that nanoparticles have been used in many economically important applications, it is highly desirable to ascertain the possible deleterious effects as well. Moreover, intentional application of nanoparticle-based pesticides and fertilizers is an issue of great concern, as it may pose serious hazards. From this perspective, the authors discussed the recent research aimed at defining effects of nanoparticles on various environments and  human health.

Wild medicinal plants play a significant role in the healthcare practices of the Garo tribes inhabiting fringe forest of Balpakram national park. A study was conducted to document these Wild medicinal plants and to explore potential species for phytochemical and pharmacological studies. Fieldwork was conducted over a period of two years in Balpakram national park, utilizing the “transect walk ”method of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). The data was analyzed using the following techniques: frequency of citation and informant consensus factor (Fic). This research documented 60 species of medicinal plants belonging to 43 families which were used in the treatment of 32 ailments of humans. The ailments are categorized into 14 categories (symptoms/similarities, etc). The Fic values indicate that there was a high degree of consensus among informants on how to treat injuries, respiratory ailments, circulatory system ailments, digestive disorders, colds and fevers. The most useful medicinal species, ranked according to their perceived Fic were: Averrhoa carambola, Antidesma bunius, Osbeckia stellata, Curcuma domestica, Acorus calamus, Terminalia chebula, Cinnamomum tamala. In remedy preparations, the leaves were the most frequently used plant part (33 instances) and most of the preparations were in the form of extraction or juice. Herbs were the most frequently used source of medicine (48%), followed by trees (35%) and shrubs (17%).

Isoproturon (IPU)-degrading soil bacteria were isolated from herbicide-applied wheat fields. These isolates were identified using cultural, morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA sequencing methods. 16S rRNA sequences of both the bacterial isolates were compared with NCBI GenBank data base and identified as Bacillus pumilus and Pseudoxanthomonas sp. A soil microcosm study was carried out for 40 days in six different treatments. Experimental results revealed maximum 95.98% IPU degradation in treatment 6 where bacterial consortia were augmented in natural soil, followed by 91.53% in treatment 5 enriched with organic manure as an additional carbon source. However, only 14.03% IPU was degraded in treatment 1 (control) after 40 days. In treatments (2-4), 75.59%, 70.92% and 77.32% IPU degradation was recorded, respectively. IPU degradation in all the treatments varied significantly over the control. 4-Isopropylaniline was detected as IPU degradation by-product in the medium. The study confirmed that B. pumilus and Pseudoxanthomonas sp. performed effectively in soil microcosms and could be employed profitably for field-scale bioremediation experiments.

Abstract. Kumar R, Pandey S, Rishi RR, Giri K. 2017. Macrolepiota procera (Scop.) Singer (Agaricomycetes) - a new generic record of edible mushroom for Nagaland, Northeast India. Asian J Agric 1: 6-8. In August 2013, an interesting mushroom was collected from the Puliebzie forest range in Kohima District of Nagaland state of India. The mushroom was identified as Macrolepiota procera (Scop.) Singer based on the macroscopic and microscopic characters.

Isoproturon (IPU) degrading bacterium was isolated from herbicide treated soils. Morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the strain belonged to the phylogeny of the Bacillus sp. (99 % sequence similarity with Bacillus pumilus FM 201790.1) hence designated as B. pumilus K1. Biodegradation study was carried out using 200 mg L−1 IPU as sole source of carbon at three pH levels i.e. 6.5, 7.0 and 7.5 and three temperatures i.e. 25, 30 and 35 °C. In the first 5–10 days IPU biodegradation was slow, which was later accelerated. The IPU degrading potential of B. pumilus K1 was strongly influenced by pH and temperature with maximum degradation at pH 7.0 and 30 °C followed by pH 7.5 and 35 °C at the end of 20 days. However, at pH 6.5 and 25 °C least IPU degradation was observed. The optimum conditions for isoproturon degradation by this bacterial isolate were pH 7.0 and 30 °C temperature. Addition of supplementary carbon source enhanced 4.07 % IPU degradation. 4-Isopropylaniline was detected as IPU degradation by-product in the medium. The study clearly exhibited that B. pumilus K1 was able to metabolize IPU effectively and thus could be employed for development of field scale bioremediation technology.

Five promising maize cultivars (HQPM-1, HHM-1, HM-4, HQPM-5 and HQPM-3) when evaluated the hybrid HQPM 5 showed higher 6.98%, 10.11%, and 34.14% deadhearts in case of treated, sprayed and control plot, respectively. The insecticidal treatments significantly reduced the deadhearts. Seed treatment with imidacloprid 70 WS applied @ 7.5 g/kg seed was more effective as compared to foliar application with endosulfan 35 EC @ 0.07%. Maximum yield of 21.08q/ha and 19.80q/ha was obtained in hybrid HQPM 1 in both treated and sprayed fields, respectively. Regardless of hybrids maximum yield (19.39 q/ha) was recorded with imidacloprid seed treatment followed by endosulfan (18.58 q/ha). The avoidable losses in seed treated with imidacloprid 70 WS varied from 26.34 to 31.03% whereas with endosulfan 35 EC it varied from 24.48 to 29.35%. It can be concluded that seed treatment with imidacloprid gave better results as compared to endosulfan.

Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk. (Agar tree) is one of the most valuable economically important commercial tree species of North East India. Pest survey conducted during 2012-2015 in different Agar plantations revealed that Heortia vitessoides, a lepidopteran insect is responsible for severe defoliation of seedlings and saplings. An attempt was made to manage this pest using different fungal isolates, viz., Fusarium sp., Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Aspergillus flavus, Paecilomyces sp., Trichoderma hamatum, Mucor sp., Verticillium lecanii, Aspergillus ochraceus, Fusarium oxysporum, Trichophyton sp., and Penicillium chrysogenum, as biocontrol agents. Spore concentrations, viz. 2.4 x 1010, 2.4 x 108, 2.4 x 106 and 2.4 x 104 spores/ ml of the biocontrol fungi were tested against H. vitessoides in laboratory condition. The highest spore concentration of B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, V. lecanii and Paecilomyces sp., were found to cause percent mortality of 100, 76, 58 and 51, respectively. Further, these four potential isolates were found to cause mortality percent of 90, 52, 38 and 36.6, respectively in field conditions. The present study suggests that field application of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae is an effective management approach against H. vitessoides.

A gram-negative, rod-shaped, isoproturon (IPU) utilizing bacterium was isolated from herbicide-applied wheat fields of Tarai agro-ecosystem, Pantnagar. The phylogenetic sequence analysis based on 16S rRNA sequence revealed that the isolate could be a distinct species within the genus Pseudomonas. The isolate was a close relative of Pseudoxanthomonas japonensis (95 % similarity) and designated as K2. The bacterial isolate showed positive reaction for oxidase, catalase, and 20 carbohydrates using KB009 Part A and B HiCarbohydrate™ Kit. Degradation experiments were conducted using 200 mg l −1 initial IPU as a source of carbon at different pH and temperatures. Maximum IPU degradation by K2 was observed at pH 7.0 and 30 °C, while least degradation at 6.5 pH and 25 °C. Addition of dextrose along with IPU as an auxiliary carbon source increased IPU degradation by 4.72 %, as compared to the IPU degradation without dextrose under optimum conditions. 4-isopropylaniline was detected as a degradation by-product in the medium. The present study demonstrated the IPU metabolizing capacity of a novel bacterial isolate K2 that can be a better choice for the remediation of IPU-contaminated sites.

­Decomposition of litter is a function of various interrelated variables; both biotic factors and abiotic factors. Litter decomposition acts like a natural fertilizer, plays a prime role in maintaining the productivity and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystem. So, it is necessary to be aware of the machinery operation behind this significant ecological process. This review is based on the published work carried out in recent years and critically examines the role of different factors involved in litter decomposition, their limitations and gaps to be investigated. Numerous methods are there, litter bag technique is quite simple and handy in investigating and explaining the variations in decomposition rate constant ' k '. It is not surprising that the environment and decomposers are the key players; but role of litter quality cannot be underestimated. Changing climate can alter the microbial diversity and its consequences can be drastic in nature. Under soil aspect, nutrients (N and P), whether endogenous or exogenous, have the ability to modify the process but results are diverse and conflicting. Most of the studies and related information is based on the single species litter decomposition. However, forest ecosystems are mixer of understory herbaceous plants and woody trees and interaction between all the variables and mixed litter surely modify the litter dynamics. Future studies should be focused on how qualitative and quantitative characters of mixed litter, interact with others factors of this promising ecological process. It is necessary to divert the interest towards the mechanism and modeling of decomposition rates ' k ' and rate of nutrient released by mixed litter decomposition with special reference to with global environment change.

The natural occurrence of the edible basidiomycete, Pleurotus pulmonarius is reported for the first time in Nagaland state of India. The mushroom was collected on the dead logs from Puliebezie forest of Kohima. This mushroom is being consumed and sold in local market by the ethnic people of the area. Keeping in view the nutritional value and market demand, cultivation of this species was attempted on paddy straw and the analysis for protein, carbohydrate and fiber contents was also investigated for the cultivated fruit-bodies and results revealed the protein content 37.63%, fat 1.93%, carbohydrate 43.40% and the crude fiber content 4.12%.

Tapwal A, Kumar R, Borah D. 2015. Effect of mycorrhizal inoculations on the growth of Shorea robusta seedlings. Nusantara Bioscience 7:1-5. Shorea robusta is one of important timber yielding tree species of northeast India and known to have both ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and endomycorrhizal (AM) associations. It is hypothesized that under favorable conditions different mycorrhizal fungi present in soil develop symbiotic association with fine roots of trees. In present investigations, mycorrhizal inoculum of EcM and AM fungi applied to S. robusta seedlings raised in polyethylene bags in nursery. Observations on growth characters and mycorrhizal colonization were recorded at the interval of three months. The results revealed that irrespective of type of mycorrhizal inoculation, growth of the seedlings increased significantly in comparison to control. Maximum growth was observed for the seedlings inoculated with EcM alone, followed by dual inoculations (EcM+AM), seedlings inoculated with AM fungi and minimum in control.

Various plant mechanisms and physico-morphological factors contribute to resistance against herbivores. To identify the morphological characters responsible for resistance in spring maize to shoot fly, Atherigona soccata (Rondani), four maize genotypes including, two hybrids; 193-2x161 (resistant), 1128x163 (susceptible) and two inbred; C-78 (resistant) 1348-6-2 (susceptible) were examined. It is concluded that seedling height, number of leaves per plant and leaf length was more in hybrid genotypes as compared to inbred lines and also in resistant genotypes. While, leaf width was observed significantly less in hybrid lines as compared to inbred genotypes and also in resistant genotypes. Mean seedling height, number of leaves per plant and leaf length was observed maximum (28.82 cm, 9.22 and 21.85 cm, respectively) on resistant hybrid 193-2x161, whereas maximum mean leaf width (1.64 cm) was observed in susceptible hybrid 1128×163. Similarly, mean seedling height, number of leaves per plant and leaf length was observed maximum (19.77 cm, 5.78 and 17.72 cm, respectively) in resistant inbred C-78 whereas, mean leaf width was observed maximum (2.35 cm) in susceptible inbred 1348-6-2. Regardless of genotypes, the seedling height, number of leaves per plant, leaf length and leaf width did not differ significantly between different dates of sowing. During different date of sowing i.e. 1st (20th February), 2nd (7th March) and 3rd sowing (22nd March) more seedling height, leaf length, number of leaves per plant and less leaf width was recorded in resistant genotypes.