Evaluation of Wheat (Triticum aestivum) and Legume Intercropping Under 1:1 and 2:1 Row-replacement Series System

A field experiment was conducted during the winter season of 1992–93 and 1993–94 at Agricultural Experimental Farm, Giridih, Bihar to evaluate the intercropping systems of legumes, gram ( Cicer arietinum L.), pea ( Pisum sativum ) and lentil ( Lens culinaris ) with wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) in 1:1 and 2:1 'row replacement series'. Intercropping systems were assessed on the basis of new indices termed as actual yield loss (AYL) and intercropping advantage (IA). This paper highlights the comparative effectiveness of evaluating the intercropping systems through the existing intercropping indices like LER, RCC, aggressivity. The indices AYL and IA seem to be more appropriate particularly when per plant yield is considered. Intercropping reduced the yield of component crops compared with respective pure stands. Wheat + pea in 1:1 row replacement series gave the highest wheat yield equivalent value (3.02 t ha⁻¹) followed by wheat + lentil (2.91 tha⁻¹). When the actual sown proportion was considered wheat + lentil (1:1) resulted in maximum AYL (+0.610) and IA (+0.279) values. This treatment also gave the maximum monetary advantage (Rs 5985.45 ha⁻¹).     

Assessing Repeated Oxalic Acid Vaporization in Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies for Control of the Ectoparasitic Mite Varroa destructor

The American beekeeping industry continually experiences colony mortality with annual losses as high as 43%. A leading cause of this is the exotic, ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae). Integrated Pest Management (IPM) options are used to keep mite populations from reaching lethal levels, however, due to resistance and/or the lack of suitable treatment options, novel controls for reducing mites are warranted. Oxalic acid for controlling V. destructor has become a popular treatment regimen among commercial and backyard beekeepers. Applying vaporized oxalic acid inside a honey bee hive is a legal application method in the U.S., and results in the death of exposed mites. However, if mites are in the reproductive stage and therefore under the protective wax capping, oxalic acid is ineffective. One popular method of applying oxalic is vaporizing multiple times over several weeks to try and circumvent the problem of mites hiding in brood cells. By comparing against control colonies, we tested oxalic acid vaporization in colonies treated with seven applications separated by 5 d (35 d total). We tested in apiaries in Georgia and Alabama during 2019 and 2020, totaling 99 colonies. We found that adult honey bees Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and developing brood experienced no adverse impacts from the oxalic vaporization regime. However, we did not find evidence that frequent periodic application of oxalic during brood-rearing periods is capable of bringing V. destructor populations below treatment thresholds.     

Larval diet affects development and reproduction of East Asian strain of the fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda

In December 11, 2018, the fall armyworm(FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda invaded China and has since impacted local maize, sorghum and other crops. Here, we draw on laboratory experiments to show how different host crops(i.e., maize, sorghum, wheat and rice) and artificial diet affect larval growth and adult reproduction of one local FAW strain. Larval diet affected development duration, pupation rate, survival and emergence rate of pupae, and S. frugiperda adult fecundity. FAW attained the slowest larval development(19.4 days) on sorghum and the fastest(14.1 days) on artificial diet, with larvae attaining 99.6% survival on the latter food item. On rice, FAW larvae attained survival rate of 0.4% and were unable to pupate successfully. Pupation rate and pupal survival varied substantially between artificial diet and live plantlets at different phenological stages. Pupal weight was the highest(0.26 g) on artificial diet and the lowest(0.14 g) on sorghum, while FAW females reached the highest fecundity(699.7 eggs/female) on 2-leaf stage maize. Egg hatching rate equaled 93.6% on 4-or 5-leaf stage maize and 36.6% on artificial diet. FAW intrinsic rate of natural increase and the finite rate of increase varied between larval diets, reflecting how young maize leaves are the most suitable diet. Our findings can help to refine laboratory rearing protocols, devise population forecasting models or guide the deployment of ‘area-wide' integrated pest management(IPM) modules in FAW-invaded areas of China and other Asian countries.     

Interference competition and predation between invasive and native herbivores in maize

Interspecific interactions (e.g., competition, predation) are core determinants of insect population evolution, geographical distribution, trophic dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Following its recent invasion of eastern Asia, the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) co-inhabits maize fields with native lepidopteran herbivores, such as the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura. Here, drawing upon laboratory and field studies, we demonstrate how late-instar S. frugiperda larvae directly prey upon S. litura immature stages and competitively displace them from the maize whorl. Individual maize plants did not mediate the above interactions, with herbivore-damaged leaves not affecting the development rate of either species. In the field, ecological niches of S. frugiperda and S. litura overlapped, with species-specific occupancy rates of whorl-stage leaves (vegetative phase) and ears or tassels (reproductive phase) exceeding 70% and 90%, respectively. Field cage trials showed that S. frugiperda larvae either preyed upon or repelled S. litura larvae from maize plants, routinely resulting in more than 90% mortality of the latter. Field visits and cage studies in Yunnan (SW China) also revealed how—within an approx. 1-year time period—S. frugiperda has become a dominant species in local maize fields and co-infestation of both herbivores on the same plant is rare. Overall, our work shows how the invasive S. frugiperda exhibits a clear competitive advantage over native lepidopterans and could replace certain species within local agroecosystems. This study not only unveils the mechanistic causes of rapid ecological shifts within S. frugiperda-invaded cropping systems, but may also guide subsequent monitoring and management interventions.

     

Molecular determination of the predator community of a cassava whitefly in Colombia: pest-specific primer development and field validation

In South America, the whitefly Aleurotrachelus socialis is one of the principal pests of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), reaching high population levels throughout the Andean region. Management of this species is primarily based upon the use of insecticides, while biological control has received limited attention. Till present, knowledge of A. socialis natural enemies is restricted to occasional records of predators and parasitoids. In this study, we developed PCR primer sets specific for the cassava whitefly, A. socialis, to identify their predator community in Colombian cassava. Eleven percent of 586 predator specimens (representing 131 taxa from 29 families) tested positive for cassava whitefly DNA. Of the 21 predator taxa that consumed cassava whiteflies, an unidentified netwing beetle (Lycidae), an unidentified spider species (Araneae), Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a Cereaochrysa sp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), and a Leucochrysa sp. (Chrysopidae) were the taxa that consumed cassava whiteflies most frequently under field conditions. Two abundant predators in the system, Delphastus sp. (Coccinellidae) and the long-legged fly, Condylostylus sp. (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), were both positive for whitefly DNA, but did not have the strongest trophic linkage to the pest relative to other predators. This study shows that a diverse predator community affects cassava whitefly in southern Colombia, and provides the groundwork for the design of cassava production systems with minimal pesticide inputs.     

Context matters: the landscape matrix determines the population genetic structure of temperate forest herbs across Europe

Landscape Ecology - Plant populations in agricultural landscapes are mostly fragmented and their functional connectivity often depends on seed and pollen dispersal by animals. However, little is...     

Using EM and VERIS technology to assess land suitability for orchard and vineyard development

Orchard and vineyard producers conduct preplant site evaluations to help prevent planting permanent tree and vine crops on lands where the crop will not perform to its highest potential or attain its full life expectancy. Physical soil characteristics within specific soil profiles and spatially throughout an orchard influence decisions on land preparation, irrigation system selection, horticultural choices, and nutrient management. Producers depend on soil surveys to help them understand the soil characteristics of the land and may be interested in technology that provides additional information. Electromagnetic induction (EM38) and four-probe soil resistance sensors (VERIS) are being used in combination with global positioning systems to map spatial variability of soils using apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa). The hypothesis evaluated in this study is whether rapid, in situ, and relatively low-cost methods of measuring ECa (EM38 and VERIS) can effectively identify and map physical soil variability in non-saline soils. The supposition is that in non-saline soils, ECa levels will relate well to soil texture and water-holding capacity and can be used to map physical soil variability. In turn, the information can be used to guide decisions on preplant tillage, irrigation system design, water and nutritional management, and other horticultural considerations. Two sites in the Sacramento Valley were mapped each with EM38 and VERIS methods. Site-specific management zones were identified by each provider on ECa maps for each site, and then soil samples were collected by University of California researchers to verify these zones. Results showed that on non-saline soils, ECa measured with both EM38 and VERIS correlate with physical soil properties such as gravel, sand, silt, and clay content but the relationship between conductivity and these physical soil properties varied from moderately strong to weak. The strength of the correlation may be affected by several factors including how dominant soil texture is on conductivity relative to other soil properties and on methods of equipment operation, data analysis and interpretation. Overall, the commercial providers of ECa surveys in this study delivered reasonable levels of accuracy that were consistent with results reported in previous studies. At one site, an ECa map developed with VERIS provided more detail on physical soil variability to supplement published soil surveys and aided in the planning and development of a walnut orchard. At a second site, almond yield appeared to correlate well with distinctly different soil zones identified with EM38 mapping.