Owing to theunique properties, nanomaterials play a major role in many areas of science andtechnology. In this paper the antiphytopathogenic activity of gallic acidreduced Terminalia chebula Retz. silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) wasstudied. AgNO3(10-3 M) stocksolution was prepared by dissolving 17mg of silver nitrate in 100ml ofdouble distilled water. 10ml of gallic acid solution isolated from Terminaliachebula Retz. (Combretaceae) was added to 90ml of 10-3 M AgNO3 solution forreduction of Ag+ions.The reduction of pure Ag+ionswas monitored by measuring in the UV-Vis Spectroscopy at 426nm.Determination of the shape and structure of silver nanoparticle wascharacterized by Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) and X-ray Diffractionstudies (XRD). The plasma resonance of the gallic acid reduced silverparticle is brownish yellow. In the light of these studies, the shape ofthe silver nanoparticle (spherical) and face centered cubic (FCC) structurewere explained. The antibiotic experiment conducted in the present studyrevealed the antiphytopathogenic activity of gallic acid reduced Terminaliachebula Retz. silver nanoparticles against the phytopathogen Xanthomonosaxonopodis pv. malvacearum and also confirmed the antiphytopathogenicactivity studies based on “Broth microdilution method” against Xanthomonosaxonopodis pv. malvacearum.

Okra (Abelmoschusesculentus L.) is an important vegetable crop, severely attacked by rootrot

(Fusariumsolani) in Junagadh district, Gujarat state (India). The pathogen causedgrayish discoloration of stem near the soil base, root became soft and vascularbundles turned into brownish in colour results in drying of plants. Thereforeeffords was made to screen the different phytoextracts in laboratory conditionagainst test fungus. Among that maximum inhibition was obtained in turmeric rhizomeextract (62.72%) which followed by jatropha leaf extract (52.57%) and neemleaves extract (48.46%).

Theimpact of different modules against the population of spiders in rice (Oryzasativa L.) ecosystem was studied during 2012 – 13. Two supervised fieldexperiments were conducted during kharif 2012 and rabi 2012 – 13.Totally five modules namely chemical module, bio intensive module, neem basedmodule, integrated module and farmers practice module with four replicationswas evaluated in the two seasons. In this experiment nine species of spiders viz.,Araneus spp. C., Argiope catenulata D., Argiope pulchella T.,Callitrichia formosana Oi., Clubiona japonicola Bosenberg &Strand, Leucage decorata W., Lycosa spp., Oxyopes javanus T. and Tetragnathajavana T. were identified during the crop growth period. The population ofspiders was observed from 14 days after transplanting (DAT) to 77 DAT in boththe seasons. During kharif 2012 the population of spiders ranged from0.05 to 0.45/hill. The overall mean population of spiders ranged from 0.14 to0.25/hill irrespective of the treatments. It was found that the per centreduction was higher in the chemical module (44%) compared to the farmerspractice module. During rabi 2012 – 13 the population of spiders rangedfrom 0.15 to 1.92/hill. The overall mean population of spiders ranged from 0.33to 1.18/hill. A higher per cent reduction was observed in the chemical module(72.03%) as in the kharif. It was concluded that from both the fieldexperiments a higher population of spiders was observed in the farmers practicemodule followed by integrated module, neem based module, bio intensive moduleand chemical module.

Greengram is grown mainly as a Kharif seasoncrop which suffers from several diseases caused by both fungi and viruses.Among the viral diseases, leaf crinkle is an important disease that infects thecrop at various stages of its growth which reduces both quantity and quality ofthe seed. Effective management of insect vectors of plant pathogens is ofcrucial importance in minimizing vector-borne diseases in crops. Among thevarious treatments tested for managing the leaf crinkle virus disease, seedtreatment with imidacloprid 60 FS (5 ml/kg) along with two sprays ofimidacloprid 17.8 SL (0.03%) at 25 and 40 days after sowing was found highlyeffective and recorded the lowest per cent disease incidence and least numberof aphids.

 Ten insecticides were evaluated against majorsucking pests infesting the Bt cotton. Among them five were ofbio-pesticides (Neem oil 1.0 %, NSKE (Neem seed kernel extract) 5.0 %,Azadirachtin 0.0009 %, Verticillium lecanii (Zimmermann) @ 2.5 kg/ha andBeauveria bassiana (Balsamo.) @ 2.5 kg/ha) and five were chemicalpesticides (Acetamiprid 0.004 %, Thiamethoxam 0.01 %, Imidacloprid 0.0089 %,Dinotefuran 0.008 % and Flonicamid 0.02 %) at KVK farm, JAU, Targhadia (Rajkot)during Kharif, 2012-13. The result on the field efficacy of newerinsecticides against major sucking pests of Bt cotton (G Cot Hy 6 BG II)showed that the chemical pesticides caused higher mortality, whilebio-pesticides caused moderate to lower mortality of sucking pests. Among theinsecticidal treatments, flonicamid 0.02 per cent was found more effectiveagainst all major sucking pests, acetamiprid 0.004 per cent against aphid andwhitefly, dinotefuran 0.008 per cent and imidacloprid 0.0089 per cent againstjassid and thiamethoxam 0.01 per cent were found effective against thrips on Btcotton. Among the bio-pesticides, neem oil 1.0 per cent, V. lecanii @ 2.5kg/ha and azadirachtin 0.0009 per cent were found moderate effective againstmajor sucking pests of Bt cotton. In case of toxicity of insecticides onpredators (Coccinellids and Chrysoperla) of sucking pests, all thebio-pesticides were found safer to predators, while chemical pesticides werefound moderate to higher toxic to predators on Bt cotton.

Twenty threestrains of selected entomopathogenic fungi were tested for the production ofchitinolytic enzymes and their involvement in the suppression of Colletotrichumfalcatum, red rot pathogen of sugarcane. Among twenty three strains testedfor chitinolytic activity, 9 strains showed a clearing zone on chitin-amendedagar medium. Among these, entomopathogenic fungal strains ARSEF-6646, ARSEF-6647,ARSEF-6648, ARSEF-6650 and ARSEF 2417 Beauveria bassiana strainsproduced clearing zones of a size larger than 10 mm. The antifungal activity ofthese strains increased when chitin was incorporated into the medium. Whenmycelial discs of the pathogen were treated with the secondary fungal mycelia,the results indicated that antagonistic B. bassiana caused a higherlevel of lysis of the pathogen mycelium, and the inhibitory effect was morepronounced when the lytic enzymes were produced using chitin as carbon source.

Citrus cankerincited by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Hasse) Vauterin etal. is a serious disease of acid lime [Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.)Swingle] all over the world including West Bengal, India. The disease dependsmuch upon its secondary spread through rain splash, mechanical contact in stormyweather and leaf damage by citrus leaf minor (Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton).For controlling citrus canker the usual recommendation includes antibiotics andsome agrochemicals in the form of spraying. Little work has been reported onbiological management of the disease. An experiment was set up in a farmer’sfield (acid lime orchard), Nadia, West Bengal, using an inhibitory strain of Bacillussubtilis (S-12) during 2009-2010. Single spray of aqueous suspension (2.7 x109 cells/ml) of bacterialcells was spread on 5 batches (6 numbers of plants/batch) of plants keeping 4batches unsprayed. Per cent Disease Index (PDI) was recorded throughout theyear at every month using 0-4 scale from both treated and untreated plants.Initial PDI was also taken before one week of spraying. A single spray of thebacterial suspension during the peak season for disease that is in July hasresulted in a satisfactory decline of the disease. A sharp decline of thedisease was recorded at 20 days after treatment indicating that the sporeforming bacteria might have taken over on the leaf surfaces of the plants.

A Survey wasconducted in the cashew plantations of the Directorate of Cashew Research and

Karnataka CashewDevelopment Corporation at Puttur, Karnataka to observe the presence of entomopathogenicnematodes and fungi which could be potent natural enemies of cashew stem and rootborer, Plocaederus species. Entomopathogenic nematodes were obtained bybaiting them from soil samples using Galleria mellonella larvae. Out ofthe 110 soil samples collected from various cashew plantations, 10 soil samplesindicated the existence of nematodes, which was noticed by the mortality of waxmoth larvae due to infection. These entomopathogenic nematodes were identified byutilizing currently available molecular tools, four isolates matched with Heterorhabditisbacteriophora and two with Steinernema abbasi. The resultsrevealed that, field collected fungus, was pathogenic to laboratory rearedlarvae of cashew stem and root borers and was identified as Metarhiziumanisopliae (Metsh).

The presentstudy was undertaken to explore the bioherbicidal potential of essentialoil(EO)(25 to 250μg/ml) from Eucalyptus tereticornis against one of themajor weed of rice (Oryza sativa L.), i.e. Echinochloa crus –galli L. considering percent germination, root length and shoot length developmentchlorophyll, protein and carbohydrate content and percent cellularrespiration). Studies revealed that E. tereticornis EO suppressed thegrowth and affects the physiology of the test plant. For instance, 100 and250μg/mL oil affects seed germination and seedling development of test weed. Thechlorophyll content of the E. crus- galli seedlings decreased by 80%at250μg/mL treatment of EO. Similarly, reduction in respiratory activity onexposure to 250μg/mL of EO was 60%. The effect of EO on macromolecules, i.e.carbohydrates and proteins also followed the similar trend. The present studyconcludes that EO of E. tereticornis shows toxicity towards E. crus-galli and has potential to be used as bioherbicide.

Biosynthesis of insecticides from plant extractsis currently under exploitation. Plant extracts are very cost effective andeco-friendly and thus can be an economic and efficient alternative for thelarge-scale synthesis of synthetic and other chemical insecticides. So thepresent study was carried out to establish the larvicidal effect of synthesizedsilver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using leaf extract of Euphorbia hirta (Euphorbiaceae)against the first to fourth instar larvae and pupae of the crop pest of cottonboll worm , Helicoverpa armigera. The production of the AgNPssynthesized using leaf extract of Euphorbia hirta was evaluated througha UV–Vis spectrophotometer in a wavelength range of 200 to 700 nm. An SEMmicrograph showed 30-60-nm-size aggregates of spherical- and cubic-shapednanoparticles. EDX showed the complete chemical composition of the synthesizednanoparticles of silver. The results showed that the considerable larvalmortality was found in the synthesized AgNPs against the I instar to IV instarlarvae and pupae of Helicoverpa armigera. The leaf extract exhibitedlarval toxicity against the I instar to IV instar larvae and pupae of Helicoverpaarmigera. The chi-square value was significant at p<0.05 level.Nanoparticle treatment showed toxicity against larval instars of Helicoverpaarmigera and had impact on the biological parameters of Helicoverpaarmigera. Treated larva and pupa showed extended their durations.Similarly, longevity of male and female and fecundity also reduced. Treatedinsects had less consumption index at growth. Decreased food utilizationefficiency measures (ECI and ECD) and concomitant decreased in the level ofdigestive enzyme profiles in the midgut after the treatment indicate thatnanoparticle administration affected gut physiology of insects.

An investigationwas carried out to assess the efficacy of insecticides by leaf disc bioassaymethod using various chemical components, neem oil and some other biopesticidesagainst shoot and leaf webber, Antigastra catalaunalis during 2011-12 inKaraikal district, U.T. of Puducherry. In the leaf disc bioassay method againstA. catalaunalis, it was found that the per cent larval mortality in the treatmentwith lambda cyhalothrin 5 EC @ 25 g a.i./ha was high after 6,12,18 and 24 hours(13.33, 40.00, 73.33 99.99%) followed by spinosad 45 SC @ 33.75 g a.i./ha(13.33, 33.33, 60.00 and 99.99%), Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki@ 50 g a.i./ha (6.66, 26.66, 53.33, 66.67,76.67%) over the untreated check.

Several plantextracts and essential oils are being used as insecticides to reduceenvironmental

pollution andrisk of resistance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the repellent andadulticidal

properties ofessential oils of two indigenous plants from Myrtaceae family, Melaleuca

leucadendron L. and Callistemoncitrinus Curtis against the Coleopteran beetle Lasioderma

serricorne F. included inthe family Anobiidae. In the present study repellent activity, direct contact toxicityand indirect toxicity of the two essential oils were evaluated. Significantpest repellency was demonstrated. Undiluted concentrations of essential oilsshowed 97.5% repellency after 1 hour of exposure. Both the repellent andadulticidal activity was highly dependent upon the oil concentration andexposure time. In direct contact toxicity test both M. leucadendron andC.citrinus essential oil exhibited 100% mortality within 1hour. In indirectmethod, both the essential oils exhibited 100% mortality in a time period of 6hours. From these observations it is clear that these oils have potential asactive insecticides against cigarette beetle.

The pinkhibiscus mealy bug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) is a seriouseconomic threat to agriculture, forestry and the nursery industries. Highincidence of it observed in the grape vineyards resulted in a poor fruitquality, declined crop yields and substantial economic loss. Hence it isnecessary to develop an effective formulation for its control. Althoughinformation about the sex pheromones of mealy bug is reported, the informationabout attractant pheromone of mealy bug is not known. To isolate it, colony ofmealy bug, M. hirsutus was maintained and the crawler mealy bugs wereextracted. Bioassay of the crude extract obtained was carried out on thecrawlers. Results indicated dose dependant attractant properties. The activitywas marginal at low concentration and increased gradually with concentration,went through the maximum and then reduced. Formulations of higher concentration(> 1.5 mg / ml) were repellent.

Sericulture isan ideal enterprise which fits into the socio-economic fabric of India.Improvements in the quantity of silk cocoons and quality of silk depend on thequality of mulberry leaves given to the silkworm and can be achieved by thesupplementation of mulberry leaves with extra nutrients. However, the mulberrysilkworm, Bombyx mori L. is prone to infection of severalmicrobial pathogens resulting heavy loss in the silk output. Among the majordiseases of the silkworm, bacterial flacherie have been found to be very commonin our region and investigation of the haemolymph collected from the diseasedsilkworm revealed that the cultured colony was that of Staphylococcus sp. accordingto its morphological characters. Assessment of the antibacterial activity ofsome herbal extracts prepared from Acalypha indica, Leucas aspera and Ocimumsanctum for the containment of these microbes was then made in ourlaboratory. It was observed that both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of theseherbs proved to be effective against Staphylococcus sp. infectingmulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L. In this context, the alcoholic extractsproduced maximum zone of inhibition against these microbes in the culture platethan the aqueous extracts and that the extracts of Leucas aspera arevery effective against these microbial pathogens followed by the extracts of Ocimumsanctum and Acalypha indica. It is thus inferred that such effectsof herbal extracts could be exploited to control microbial pathogens at thetime of silkworm rearing and to get improved silk production.

 Field investigations were conducted tocheck the efficacy of biorational and botanical formulations against capitulumborer, Helicoverpa armigera Hub. infesting sunflower. The resultsrevealed that significant differences existed between the treatments at twodays after first spray and third and seventh days after second spray. At threedays after second spray, lowest population of H. armigera was recordedin spinosad and profenophos treatments (0.05 per plant), followed by garlicchilli kerosene extract (GCKE) (0.11 larvae per plant) and V-Bt (Bacillusthuringiensis) (0.16 larvae per plant), however, untreated check recordedthe highest H. armigera larval population (4.53/plant). Among thedifferent biorationals, the V-Bt treatment recorded highest seed yield(3528 kg/ha.), volume weight (55.14 g/100ml) and oil content (37.78 %). Thecost: benefit analysis revealed that the highest benefit: cost ratio wasrecorded in Parthenium leaf extract treatment (37.29), whereas,intermediate C: B ratios were recorded in Neem seed kernel extract (20.17) >Pongamia seed kernel extract (12.54) > profenophos (8.81) > spinosad(8.36) > IPM module (5.34) > HaNPV (3.85) > V-Bt (2.49) >GCKE (1.48) > panchagavya (0.29) > Bt-Halt (0.04), in that decreasingorder. The findings throw light on the fact that biorationals viz., Bacillusthuringiensis, NSKE and PSKE, show promise in the suppression of H.armigera, besides being economical and ecofriendly.

Present studywas taken up to evaluate the toxic effect of methanol and hexane extracts ofneem

leaf againstdiamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella. The toxic effect of the twoextracts

was evaluated atsix different concentrations, viz. 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5% and 3%. Mortality

of larvae wassignificantly higher at even the lowest concentration of 0.5% (61.67%) as comparedto control (13.33%). Complete larval mortality with neem methanol extract (NME)was recorded at 3% concentration. Mortality during early larval stages was significantlyhigher as compared to control at all the NME concentrations, and more than 50%larvae died during first two larval stages at 3%, 2.5% and 2% NMEconcentrations. The mortality was mainly due to the failure to moultsuccessfully into next stage. 52.8% mortality was observed during intermoult.At 0.5% NME, 63.64% mortality was recorded during pupal-adult moult. Hexaneextract from neem leaves (NHE) had a significant lethal effect at 1.5%concentration and above as compared to control. Maximum mortality recorded withthis extract was 51.67% at 3% concentration. At 2.5% and 3% NHE concentrationssignificant mortality was recorded during early larval stages. The estimated LC50 calculated fortotal mortality for NME and NHE extracts were 0.61% and 3.95% respectively. Theresults suggest that extract from neem leaves may potentially be used for the managementof P. xylostella.

Theentomopathogenic fungus, Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) Samson was isolatedfrom the cadavers

of Spodopteralitura (F.) collected from groundnut field of University of AgriculturalSciences,

Dharwad.rDNA-ITS sequence of N. rileyi isolate IOF1 showed considerable homologywith those of other isolates. Pathogenicity of N. rileyi isolate IOF1against S. litura was studied by topical application of spores at aconcentration of 108conidiaper litre to first to fifth instars. Early instars were highly susceptible witha mortality of 70.17 percent, which decreased significantly as the age of thelarvae advanced. Lethal time for 1st to 5th instars of S. litura was 130.71,137.77, 148.04, 235.65 and 263.10 hrs, respectively. In vitro compatibilityof N. rileyi with fungicides, insecticides and botanicals at theirrecommended dosages was studied. Among the fungicides, carbendazim and mancozebresulted in complete growth inhibition (100%), whereas tridemefon andcyperconazole inhibited the growth by 49.65% and 55.25%, respectively. Growthinhibition with insecticides endosulfan and dichlorvos was high (52.77% and50.68%, respectively). However, Methomyl and λ-Cyhalothrin resulted in low(11.81%) growth inhibition. Among the botanical extracts, both Annonasquamosa and Polyalthia longifolia showed higher growth inhibition(55.76%) when compared to those of Vinca rosea (2.40%) and Adhatodavasica (4.85%). Hence, the new isolate IOF1 of N. rileyi is aneffective entomopathogenic fungus that can be used against S. litura.

The presentstudy has been undertaken to evaluate the pesticidal activity of crudemetabolites against major groundnut defoliator Spodoptera litura derivedfrom the fungal isolates resides in the leaflets of common garden weed Clerodendroninerme. A total of 75 isolates belong to Alternaria sp, Cladosporiumsp, Paecilomyces sp, Rhizopus sp, Tricoderma sp were isolatedfrom leaflets of garden weed Clerodendron inerme by surface washingmethod and the isolated fungi were grown in liquidmedia. Ethyl acetate extractwas prepared from the filtrate of the respective fungal organism and the pesticidalactivity was studied. Pesticidal activity of the metabolites extracted from Cladosporiumsp revealed distinct pesticidal activity against all the life stages of S.litura as dose dependent manner.

 Experimentswere conducted during the three cropping periods involving twenty farmers inKongad, a major rice growing area in Palakkad district of Kerala, India during2008-2011 using a rice variety Ponmani under two System of Rice Intensificationmethod of cultivation (SRI) and normal system of rice cultivation. Theincidence of yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas Walker wassignificantly lower in vegetative phase (Dead heart) and reproductive phase(white ear) by 57.85 % and 53.73 % under SRI system in comparison to normalcultivation method. The incidence of other foliage pests like whorl maggot (Hydrelliaphilippina Ferino) and blue beetle (Leptispa pygmaea Baly) were alsolower in SRI system (31.76 and 3.45 % compared to normal system). The incidenceof leaf folder (Cnaphlocrocis medinalis Guenee) another foliage pest inrice was high in SRI system (38.29 % higher over the conventional land system).The grain yield and straw yield was higher in SRI system with 18.52 and 13.35 %respectively over the conventional system. The Cost benefit ratio between theSRI and normal system was 1:2.89 and 1:2.12.

The efficacy ofindigenous neem products like neem seed kernel powder, neem cake, neem leaf

powder, neem oiland commercially available neem formulations viz., Econeem plus®,Neemindia ® and Neemazal ® were evaluated in the laboratory for the control ofpulse beetle, C. chinensis in stored redgram. These were compared withdeltamethrin treatment as a chemical check. The red gram seed was treated withthe neem formulations and stored under ambient conditions for storabilitystudies. Observations on oviposition, insect damage, germination and seedlingvigor index were recorded at three months interval. All the three commerciallyavailable neem formulations viz., Neemazal, Econeem plus, Neem indiarecorded less insect damage (<1 %) on par with neem oil (1%) anddeltamethrin (0.8%) but found significantly superior to other neem products(1.2 to 1.4 %) and untreated control (1.8%) during three months of storage. Econeemplus proved to be superior over other neem formulations with lowest insectdamage (1.28%) on par with Neemindia (3.79%) and deltamethrin (3.07%) comparedto high insect damage recorded with untreated control (49.04%) at six months ofstorage. All the three commercially available neem formulations viz., Econeemplus, Neem india and Neemazal recorded less insect damage (6.9 ,7.3 and 7.5 %respectively) on par with deltamethrin (7.3%) and neemoil (8.7%) anddeltamethrin (0.8%) but found significantly superior to other neem products(> 40 %) and untreated control (64.2%) up to nine months of storage. The resultsindicated that the neem formulations viz., Econeem plus, Neemazal and Neemindiawere found to be very effective against C. chinensis by recording lessoviposition, less adult emergence and less insect damage in stored red gram andalso maintained high viability (>80%) and vigour of seed up to nine monthsof storage.

 Eighteeninsecticides belonging to conventional and novel chemical classes wereevaluated for their toxic effects on the hymenopteran egg parasitoid Trichogrammajaponicum Ashmead following the protocols recommended by InternationalOrganization for Biological Control (IOBC) in the Toxicology laboratory atCollege of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University during 2012-13.Commonly used conventional insecticides comprising six organophoshates(acephate 75 SP, chlorpyriphos 20 EC, dichlorvos 76 EC, dimethoate 30 EC,malathion 50 EC and quinalphos 25 EC); one carbamate (carbaryl 5 DP); onesynthetic pyrethroid (fenvalerate 20 EC) and ten novel insecticides viz;acetamiprid 20 SP, emmamectin benzoate 5 SG, fipronil 80 WG, imidachloprid 200SL, indoxacarb 14.5 SC, buprofezin 25 SC, chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC,flubendiamide 480 SC, spinosad 2.5 SC and thiamethoxam 25 WDG at fieldrecommended concentrations were tested for their acute contact toxicity againstT. japonicum by adopting residual film bioassay method. The toxicity ofinsecticides was manifested as lethal effect on the adult parasitoids. Amongthe eighteen insecticides tested, acephate caused the highest mortality of88.75 % and chlorantraniliprole caused the lowest mortality (21.25 %) to theadults of T. japonicum. Novel insecticides viz., emmemectinbenzoate, fipronil, imidachloprid, indoxacarb, buprofezin andchlorantraniliprole were rated as ‘harmless’ as per IOBC safety classificationwhereas spinosad, thiamethoxam and flubendiamide were found ‘slightly harmful’to T. japonicum. Conventional organophosphates viz., acephate,chlorpyriphos and dichlorvos were ‘moderately harmful’. Dimethoate, malathion,quinalphos carbaryl, fenvalerate and acetamiprid caused a mortality of 30 – 79% leading them to be rated as ‘slightly harmful’ to adults of T. japonicum.

Rootknot nematode Meloidogyne javanica egg masses and larvae were separatelyexposed to different concentrations of leaf extract of Euphorbiaheterophylla, Richardia bransiliensis and Scoparia dulcis contained inPetri dishes in the laboratory. Egg hatch inhibition and larval mortality wereobserved over a period of 96 hrs. Phytochemical analysis of each botanical wasstudied. A comparative study of the various extracts was carried out in thescreen house potted experiment. Perforated pots were filled with 4 kgsterilised sandy loam soil. Tomato seedling EX- Gombi was transplanted in eachpot and inoculated with 1000 second stage juveniles of M. javanica aweek later. 15, 20 and 25 mL of the crude extracts was applied weekly to eachpot. Distilled water serves as the control. The results of the study showedthat the extracts inhibited egg hatch, caused juvenile mortality in thelaboratory and reduced root knot nematodes infection on tomato in the screenhouse. S. dulcis at 25 ml showed better nematode control compared to R.brasiliensis and E. Heteropylla

The experimentswere carried out to study the performance of some biorational insecticidesagainst yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas Walker in Boro riceat Rice Research Station, Chinsurah, Hooghly, West Bengal during the year2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. Nine treatments viz. Beauveria bassiana (PantherBB) @ 4 g/l, Beauveria bassiana ( Myco- Jaal) @ 4 ml/l, Metarhiziumanisopliae (Nodule Testing Laboratory, BCKV) @ 2 g/l, Bacillusthuringiensis(Panther BT) @ 1.5 g/l, Bacillus thuringiensis(NoduleTesting Laboratory, BCKV) @ 1.5 g/l, Azadirachtin 10,000 ppm @ 1 ml/l, Spinosad45%SC @ 2 ml/15 l, Phosphamidon 40% EC @ 1.5ml/l of water and untreated control(Water Spray) were laid out in randomized block design with three replications.The observations on per cent of dead heart and white ear head along with yieldof the crop in different treatments were recorded. Spinosad 45%SC proved mosteffective in managing the insect population as lowest DH% and WE% were observedin all the crop growing seasons. Result on pooled analyses revealed that 80.27%and 67.10% reduction of dead heart and white ear head were achieved over the controlby two sprayings of Spinosad 45%SC which resulted in 69.96% increase of yieldover the control. Apart from Spinosad 45%SC, Phosphamidon 40% EC also provedbetter in reducing the dead heart and white ear head as well as in per centincrease of yield over the control.

Predatorymites of the family Phytoseiidae have been successfully used in the biologicalcontrol of numerous agricultural pests worldwide. The present study deals withthe feeding efficacy of Euseius ovalis on Tetranychusmacfarlanei, a major spider mite pest with wide host range, inducing considerabledamage and yield loss to the vegetable crop, Abelmoschus esculentus, the commonly called okra.Feeding potential of E. ovalis was studied by rearing the preyand predator in an incubator, at 30 ± 20 Cand 64 ± 2% RH, by adopting the leaf flotation technique, on the leaf discs of okraplant . Known numbers of different life stages of T. macfarlanei wereoffered to different life stages of the predator and data were recorded on thefeeding activity and feeding rate of the predatory mite. The predatory mite itpierced the body of the prey with its chelicerae and gradually sucked out theinternal contents. Maximum feeding preference could be observed on the eggs ofthe pest mite, followed by the larva and protonymph. Lower feeding preferencewas observed on the adult and deutonymphal stages and the quiescent stages weretotally neglected by the predator. Prey consumption rates by the adult female,deutonymph, protonymph and the adult male of the predator were 63%, 52%, 50%and 33% respectively. Predator larva was recognized as a non feeding stage.Data when analysed statistically using the Two way ANOVA were foundsignificant, thereby establishing E. ovalis as a potentialpredator of T.macfarlanei.

The present study was carried out to determinethe synergistic effects of pungam oil, neem oil, vijayneem and biosilvernanoparticles (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) blended with monocrotophos and screendagainst third instar larvae of Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae) by dermal toxicity bioassay. The dermal toxicity bioassay caused100% mortality in monocrotophos + neem oil and monocrotophos + biosilvernanoparticles in 10% on eighth day, monocrotophos + pungam oil in 20% on secondday and monocrotophos + vijayneem in 50% at ninth day. The highest growth wasobserved in neem oil and biosilver nanoparticles when blended withmonocrotophos. We conclude that either pungam oil or neem oil can be blendedwith monocrotophos for the management of S. litura larvae.

 A laboratory study was conducted to testthe efficacy of certain neem products viz., neem oil (NO), neem seedkernel extract (NSKE), neem cake extract (NCE), neem leaf extract (NLE) and onecommercial product Vijaya neem against third instar larva of tobaccocaterpillar Spodoptera litura. The food indices Consumption Index (CI),Efficiency of Conversion of Ingested Food (ECI) and Growth Rate (GR) werederived. NSKE five per cent recorded the lowest CI of 0.428 and GR of 0.130. NOthree per cent showed the lowest ECI of 26.04. Vijayaneem exhibited thehighest antifeedant index (64.75) followed by NSKE five per cent (48.7). Amongthe neem products tested, NSKE five percent showed the highest larval mortalityof 40 per cent. Insect growth regulatory (IGR) effect was recorded both in theNSKE five per cent and NO three per cent treated insects and it was morepronounced in NSKE.

Grassrootsinnovations and traditional knowledge are precious resource which providessolutions

for various kindsof problems and local needs. A review of SRISTI database suggest that large

number ofgrassroots practices are being used by the farmers in the field conditions tocontrol the

termite (Odontotermesobesus Rambur) attack. In this study, five plant speciesbeing used by

grassrootsinnovators in different forms of preparation for termite control in fieldconditions were selected for efficacy evaluation. Herbal formulations weredeveloped from the aqueous extracts of twig of Aristolochia bracteata Retz.(Aristolochiaceae), twig of Solanum surattense Burm.f. (Solanaceae),leaves of Calotropis procera Ait. f. (Asclepiadaceae), milkylatex of Euphorbia tirucalli L. (Euphorbiaceae) and oil of Ricinuscommunis L. (Euphorbiaceae). Primary screening of the individual extracts,oil and milky latex at 10% concentration shows that C. procera, A. bracteata,R. communis (oil) and E. tirucalli (latex) are having significanteffects and caused 100% mortality. However, S. surattense caused 88.89%mortality. Compared to the individual treatments, mixture of extracts of C.procera, A. bracteata, S. surattense, oil of R. communis and milkylatex of E. tirucalli showed better results in terms of mortality andhence should be preferred for termite control. The results obtained from theexperiments are encouraging and proves efficacy of the plants in control oftermite. The formulations based on the above plants could be green alternative forthe termite control.