Management of peanut budnecrosis disease in groundnut through intercropping with cereal and pulse crops

Intercropping groundnut with sorghum at a 3:1 ration has given lower AUDPC (1018) with a mean pod yield of 1868 kg/ha, and was found significant in reducing the PBND (34.2%) compared to sole groundnut (AUDPC of 1545 mean pod yield of 1407 kg/ha, 52% PBND). In groundnut intercropped with pulses, groundnut + redgram (5:1) was found to be effective in reducing PBND to an extent of 10% and recorded higher equivalent pod yield of 2236 kg/ha with 1014 AUDPC compared to sole groundnut (AUDPC 1078, 63.44% PBND; mean pod yield of 1663 kg/ha). The higher incidence of PBND was recorded in the treatments involving greengram, blackgram and soybean and it was also reflected in realising higher values of AUDPC.     

Status, invasiveness and environmental threats of three tropical American invasive weeds (Parthenium hysterophorus L., Ageratum conyzoides L., Lantana camara L.) in India

Invasive weeds have threatened the integrity of ecosystems throughout the world. They affect not only the species diversity of native areas but also their biological integrity. In India, a number of invasive exotic weeds have been reported but some viz. Parthenium hysterophorus, Lantana camara and Ageratum conyzoides, especially those from tropical America are troublesome and have caused adverse ecological, economic and social impact. These weeds can be seen growing in different landscapes but are luxuriantly localized in unattended forests and cultivated areas. Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae, commonly known as congress grass) is perhaps the most troublesome and noxious weed of urban and rural India. Besides rapidly colonizing areas replacing the native vegetation, it is also known to cause a number of human health problems such as skin allergy, rhinitis and irritation to eyes of the residents in the vicinity. Likewise, it causes fodder scarcity in addition to being unpalatable and toxic to livestock. Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), another serious tropical American pest, has encroached upon large areas of land, especially the forests where it has virtually replaced the forest floor vegetation and reduced tree growth. Also because of its bushy and spreading type of growth it obstructs forest operations. The third weed, Ageratum conyzoides (Asteraceae, Billy goat weed) has invaded agricultural fields. It interferes with crops and causes yield reductions of major staple crops of India. When it invades rangeland areas, it out competes native grasses causing scarcity of fodder. These weeds have similar growth strategies such as fast growth rates, short life-cycles, greater reproductive potential, high competitive abilities and allelopathy that make them successful invaders of native habitats. Mechanical, chemical, biological and cultural control tactics have failed individually, though integrated approaches combining all these approaches along with community participation and proper land management have been relatively successful. This paper presents various aspects of biology, ecology, hazards and control measures of these weeds.     

Resistant sources in groundnut germplasm lines against peanut bud necrosis tospovirus disease

Of the 242 groundnut genotypes, tested both in epiphytotic field and laboratory conditions, the genotypes viz., ICGV 90009, ICGV 86699, ICGV 86329, 91177, 91234, ICGV‐94252 and TG 26 were found promising both with low incidence of PBND besides longer incubation periods, DFSA, DLSA and IP 50%. Further, significant positive correlation was found between IP 50% vs DLSA, DFSA and final PBND (%) was negatively correlated with IP 50% and DFSA.     

Sesame genotype influences growth and phenology of Phelipanche aegyptiaca

Egyptian broomrape (Phelipanche aegyptiaca) is a parasitic weed causing major yield loss in many field and vegetable crops. Recent observations in Iran suggest that sesame (Sesamum indicum) may serve either as a trap crop or as a host for broomrape, depending on genotype. The central objective of this research was to identify sesame genotypes that could act either as potential trap crops, or sources of genetic material for development of broomrape resistant cultivars. Seeds of 11 Iranian sesame genotypes (Ardestan, Esfarayen, Oltan, Ahvaz, Borazjan, Darab‐14, Ferdous, Kalat, Naz Tak Shakhe, Varamin and Yekta) and 10 foreign genotypes (S16, S21, S23, S25, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8 and S9) were planted with broomrape seeds in pots. At the flowering stage of sesame, tubercle number and dry weight, shoot number and dry weight and shoot height of broomrape were determined. Shoot dry weight, root dry weight and seed yield of sesame were determined at the physiological maturity. The results showed that broomrape growth varied with sesame genotype. Egyptian broomrape dry weight measured from 1.6% (S23) to 35.4% (Kalat) of the dry weight of the sesame on which it grew. Broomrape total dry weight had positive and highly correlation with the root dry weight of the sesame genotype on which it grew. When broomrape planted with the S7, S8, S9, S21 and S23 genotypes produced tubercles, but no shoots on these genotypes. Such genotypes could be used as both trap crops and as breeding‐sources for development of resistant sesame genotypes.     

Managament of peanut bud necrosis disease in groundnut by botanical pesticides

In the management of PBND in groundnut neem seed extract (10%), we recorded significantly lower PBND incidence, AUDPC, apparent infection rate (20.41, 19.5% PBND; 956, 756 AUDPC; 0.0026, 0.002 apparent infection rate) followed by neem cake extract 10% spray (2747, 23.36% PBND; 1275, 1316 AUDPC; 0.0034, 0.0025 apparent rate of infection in 2000–2001 and 2001–2002, respectively). Weekly spray of monocrotophos reduced the PBND (26.77%) and recorded significantly higher pod yields (2547, 2465 kg/ha) and lower AUDPC (861, 1373), and apparent infection rate (0.0021, 0.0019 in 2000–2001 and 2001–2002, respectively) compared to other treatments.     

Dry season groundnut stover management practices determine nitrogen cycling efficiency and subsequent maize yields

It is generally thought that grain legume residues make a substantial net N contribution to soil fertility in crop rotation systems. However, most studies focus on effects of residues on crops immediately sown after the legume crop while in fact in many tropical countries with a prolonged dry season there is a large gap before planting the next crop with potential for nutrient losses. Thus the objectives of this study were* to improve the efficiency of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) stover-N (100 kg N ha ^–1) recycling by evaluating the effect of dry season stover management, i.e. surface application and immediate incorporation after the legume crop or storage of residues until next cropping in the rainy season. N dynamics (litterbags, mineral N, microbial biomass N, N ₂O emissions) were monitored and ¹⁵N labelled residues were applied to assess the fate of residue N in the plant–soil (0–100 cm) system during two subsequent maize crops. Recycling groundnut stover improved yield of the subsequent maize (Zea mays L.) crop compared to treatment without stover. A higher N recycling efficiency was observed when residues were incorporated (i.e. 55% total ¹⁵N recovery after second maize crop) than when surface applied (43% recovery) at the beginning of the dry season. This was despite the faster nitrogen release of incorporated residues, which led to more mineral N movement to lower soil layers. It appears that a proportion of groundnut stover N released during the dry season was effectively captured by the natural weed population (54–70 kg N ha ^–1) and subsequently recycled particularly in the incorporation treatment. Despite the presence of weeds major leaching losses occurred during the onset of the rainy season while N ₂O emissions were relatively small. There was a good correlation between soil microbial biomass N and first crop maize yield. Incorporation of groundnut residues led to small increases in economic yield, i.e., 3120 versus 3528 kg ha ^–1 over two cropping cycles in the surface versus incorporation treatments respectively, with corresponding residue ¹⁵N uptakes of 4 and 8%, while ¹⁵N recovery in water stable aggregates (9–15%) was not significantly different. In contrast, when stover was removed and applied before the first crop, yield benefits were highest with cumulative maize yields of 4350 kg ha ^–1 and residue utilization of 12%. However, N recycling efficiency was not higher than in the early incorporation treatment due to an asynchrony of N release and maize N demand during the first crop.     

Differential allelopathic expression of bark and seed of Tamarindus indica L.

Allelopathic performance of the bark and seed of Tamarindus indica L. tree was evaluated through bioassay-guided studies using seven common agronomic crops (asparagus, cucumber, lettuce, radish, sesame, tomato and welsh onion) and seven weed species (barnyard grass, Chinese milk vetch, perennial ryegrass, phacelia, timothy grass, white clover and wild ginger) under laboratory conditions. As demonstrated by a sandwich method, the bark of the tamarind tree caused strong growth inhibition (compared to the corresponding controls) in both radicles and hypocotyls of the species tested, and the inhibitory effect was highest in barnyard grass (52–65%) and lowest in welsh onion (19–13%). The crude-water soluble extracts of bark at different concentrations (1, 5 and 10%) (w/v) exhibited a strong growth inhibition in all the plant species tested, and a proportional increase in the percentage of growth inhibition was observed with an increase in the concentrations of the extracts. The magnitude of inhibition in weed species was higher (5–60%) than those of agronomic crop species (3–40%). The growth of all the weed species tested was strongly inhibited (17–56%), while the agronomic crop species showed both inhibited (5–21%) and stimulated (5–27%) growth due to the effect of crude-water soluble exudates of tamarind seed. Among the agronomic crop species tested, lettuce (22–27%) followed by radish (20–25%) and sesame (5–8%) showed stimulatory growth with the crude-water soluble exudates of seed. In the pot culture experiments using four agronomic crops (lettuce, radish, tomato and cucumber) and two weed species (barnyard grass and white clover), spraying of crude-water soluble extracts of tamarind seed-coat at three different concentrations (1, 5 and 10%) (w/v) showed that the growth of lettuce (35–62%) and radish (32–56%) was stimulated, while all other species tested showed growth inhibition (29–61%). When the spraying of crude extracts of seed-coat was turned off, the growth of both lettuce and radish continued to be stimulated (4–7%) and all other previously inhibited species recovered well, the recovery percentage ranging between 78 and 82%. However, when spraying of crude extracts of seed-coat was continued, growth increased (10–14%) in lettuce and radish, and reduced (37–76%) in four other species tested. The inhibitory or stimulatory effects of the crude extracts on agronomic crop and weed species were higher in the radicle than the hypocotyl and reached a peak with 10% (w/v) concentrations. These results clearly demonstrated the differential allelopathic effects (inhibitory and excitatory) of bark and seed of tamarind tree in the species tested. Thus, it is evident that these two organs contain certain biologically active true growth regulator(s) and are either additively or synergistically involved in the plant-specific expression, particularly by the seed-coat.     

Allelopathic potential of an annual weed,Polypogon monspeliensis,in crops in India

The question of whether annual weeds are allelopathic under natural conditions still remains to be critically answered. Investigations were carried out to understand the involvement and mode of operation of allelopathy in an annual weed, Polypogon monspeliensis. Comparative studies of soils associated with and without the weed under field conditions revealed that there was no significant difference in toxicity of the two soils, and thus the possibility of its allelopathic effect on crops grown in the same season could be ruled out. However, soil amended with weed straw had significantly higher total phenolics including higher relative concentrations of phenolic fractions that were not detected in unamended soil. Phenolic fractions significantly affected the seedling growth of radish and cluster bean. It is likely that P. monspeliensis did not interfere chemically with the crops cultivated during the same season, but interfered with the following season crop through incorporated straw. These results indicate how a monocarpic annual such as P. monspeliensis can be allelopathic under field conditions and allelopathic potential can be managed. We suggest that before detailed investigations on allelopathy are performed as per earlier recommended protocols, data on weed life cycle pattern and agricultural practices should be collected.     

Cotton,cowpea and sesame are alternative crops to cucurbits in soils naturally infested with Monosporascus cannonballus

Monosporascus cannonballus is an important cucurbit root pathogen, which has been reported in the main production areas of melon and watermelon in Brazil and worldwide and potentially capable to colonize roots of different species. Crop rotation is considered an effective management strategy to prevent this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of different crops, pumpkin, cotton, cowpea, sesame, watermelon, melon, corn, cucumber, sorghum and tomato, to the infection of this pathogen. Seedlings were transplanted into plastic containers with an inoculum concentration of 20 colony‐forming units (CFU) g^?1 of M. cannonballus. Fifty days after transplanting, the variables analysed were the degree of disease severity on the root system and the frequency of reisolation. On cucurbits, the results demonstrated different degrees of susceptibility among crops and cultivars, being melon and watermelon the most sensitive species. In contrast, Cucurbita cultivars were the most tolerant. Regarding non‐cucurbit crops, maize, sorghum and tomato presented root discoloration and M. cannonballus was reisolated from roots. Cotton, cowpea and sesame cultivars were not affected by the pathogen, so they can be considered as alternative crops to be cultivated, or in rotation with cucurbits, in M. cannonballus infested soils.     

Density-dependent germination and the role of seed leachate

Abstract While density dependence is a central issue in much of plant ecology, it is often overlooked during the crucial seed germination period of the plant life-cycle. Here, patterns of germination in relation to initial seed density for 12 phylogenetically-diverse perennial plant species are described from laboratory experiments. When each of the 12 species was analysed individually, seeds of Alysicarpus rugosus, Callistemon citrinus, Eragrostis curvula and Panicum miliaceum showed a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high densities of conspecifics. A meta-analysis carried out by grouping 11 of the 12 species together revealed an overall significant effect for a decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at high conspecific densities compared with low con-specific densities. Significant decreases in the proportion of seeds germinating are interpreted as risk reappraisal by seeds through dormancy in response to potentially hazardous conditions imposed by high density clusters of seeds all germinating at once. The four species that responded significantly to high densities individually were each treated at low densities with a leachate solution obtained from high density conspecifics. For Alysicarpus rugosus and Panicum miliaceum, this resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of seeds germinating at simulated high densities implicating the leachate as a causative agent. Heterospecific effects were investigated similarly for A. rugosus and E. curvula by the addition of leachate from high density clusters of seeds of one species upon the other. Only A. rugosus decreased germination significantly through the addition of leachate. These results demonstrate the ability of seeds to predict environmental conditions of the habitat into which they will emerge in terms of potential competitive interactions from neighbouring seedlings.     

Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Ageratum enation virus and an Alphasatellite Infecting a New Host Glycine max in India

During 2011, leaf crumpling, yellowing and stunting were observed on soya bean (Glycine max) in Himachal Pradesh, India. PCR‐based detection confirmed the presence of a begomovirus. The viral genome was amplified by rolling circle amplification, cloned and sequenced. The complete nucleotide sequence of DNA‐A showed highest nucleotide identity to an isolate of Ageratum enation virus infecting a weed Ageratum conyzoides. In addition, a DNA molecule was found which shared 95% nucleotide identity with an alphasatellite infecting ageratum. Neither beta satellite nor DNA‐B was detected in the infected samples.     

Etiology and control of durian foliar blight and dieback caused by Rhizoctonia solani

Foliar blight and dieback of durian seedlings and trees in Peninsular Malaysia was found to be caused by Rhizoctonia solani (teleomorph - Thanatephoms cucumeris) The fungus grew well and produced abundant sclerotia at temperatures higher than 24°C with an optimum at 28°C. It grew poorly at 35°C and did not grow at 10°C. The strains studied were found to belong to the anastomosis group AG-1. They were pathogenic on durian, papaya, cucumber, long bean, Mikania weed, padi, musk melon, mung bean, Zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, and St Augustine grass. They were mildly pathogenic on groundnut, and non-pathogenic on maize, guava and Brassica‘pak choy’. The disease was effectively controlled by foliar sprays of pencycuron and benomyl; triadimefon and an antagonistic bacterium suspension treatment were less effective and quintozene-etridiazole mixture gave poor disease control.     

The Genera and Species Spectrum of Cucumber Powdery Mildew in Czechoslovakia

In 1979 and 1980, the fungi causing cucumber powdery mildew were investigated in Czechoslovakia. In 37 localities in the major growing 102 samples of mildew were collected. Most of them came from cucumber leaves (especially from field cultures), few came from squash leaves. Studies of the imperfect stage served to identify, in the samples, two pathogen species, viz. Erysiphe cichoracearum and Sphaerotheca fuliginea have been found. E. cichoracearum predominated under field conditions; S. fuliginea was found in only two localities. In glasshouses S. fuliginea predominated.     

Natural host range,thrips and seed transmission of distinct Tobacco streak virus strains in Queensland,Australia

Diseases caused by Tobacco streak virus (TSV) have resulted in significant crop losses in sunflower and mung bean crops in Australia. Two genetically distinct strains from central Queensland, TSV‐parthenium and TSV‐crownbeard, have been previously described. They share only 81% total‐genome nucleotide sequence identity and have distinct major alternative hosts, Parthenium hysterophorus (parthenium) and Verbesina encelioides (crownbeard). We developed and used strain‐specific multiplex Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for the three RNA segments of TSV‐parthenium and TSV‐crownbeard to accurately characterise the strains naturally infecting 41 hosts species. Hosts included species from 11 plant families, including 12 species endemic to Australia. Results from field surveys and inoculation tests indicate that parthenium is a poor host of TSV‐crownbeard. By contrast, crownbeard was both a natural host of, and experimentally infected by TSV‐parthenium but this infection combination resulted in non‐viable seed. These differences appear to be an effective biological barrier that largely restricts these two TSV strains to their respective major alternative hosts. TSV‐crownbeard was seed transmitted from naturally infected crownbeard at a rate of between 5% and 50% and was closely associated with the geographical distribution of crownbeard in central Queensland. TSV‐parthenium and TSV‐crownbeard were also seed transmitted in experimentally infected ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) at rates of up to 40% and 27%, respectively. The related subgroup 1 ilarvirus, Ageratum latent virus, was also seed transmitted at a rate of 18% in ageratum which is its major alternative host. Thrips species Frankliniella schultzei and Microcephalothrips abdominalis were commonly found in flowers of TSV‐affected crops and nearby weed hosts. Both species readily transmitted TSV‐parthenium and TSV‐crownbeard. The results are discussed in terms of how two genetically and biologically distinct TSV strains have similar life cycle strategies in the same environment.     

Genetic variability of tobacco streak virus in South India based on the analysis of coat protein gene

Tobacco streak virus (TSV), a member of the genus Ilarvirus, family Bromoviridae is an important viral pathogen in peanut and other crops in South India. Fifteen TSV isolates naturally infecting groundnut, sunflower, onion, black gram, green gram, jute, tagetes, calotropis, pumpkin, watermelon and kenaf plants were collected from fields in different regions of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Virus was identified as TSV by direct antigen coating enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using TSV antiserum. The CP gene from each isolate was amplified using TSV coat protein specific primers. About 700 bp product was amplified, cloned, sequenced and determined its length as 717 nucleotides and codes for 239 amino acids. The sequence analysis revealed that the CP gene shared 91–100% and 91–99% sequence identity with TSV at nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively. The phylogenetic relationship based on the nucleotide sequence of these isolates from different geographical regions was also analysed in this study.     

Distribution,Host Range and Disease Severity of Pseudoperonospora cubensis on Cucurbits in the Czech Republic

Cucurbit downy mildew, caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis, is a major cucumber disease in the Czech Republic. Disease prevalence, host range and disease severity were evaluated from 2001 to 2009. The geographical distribution of P. cubensis was assessed on ca 80–100 locations per year in two main regions of the Czech Republic (central and southern Moravia, and eastern, northern and central Bohemia). Infection by P. cubensis was observed primarily on cucumber (Cucumis sativus) but only on the leaves. During the study, disease prevalence ranged from 66 to 100%. The majority of C. sativus crops were heavily infected at the end of the growing season (second half of August). Generally, P. cubensis was present at high or very high disease severity. The loss of foliage results in the reduction in the quality and quantity of marketable yield of fruit. Pseudoperonospora cubensis was widespread across the whole area of the Czech Republic studied. Very rarely, infection was recorded in muskmelon (Cucumis melo) and Cucurbita moschata. Of other pathogens, the most frequently recorded was the cucurbit powdery mildew (Golovinomyces cichoracearum and Podosphaera xanthii).     

Weed Management in Rice: Wheat Rotation by Allelopathy

Rice is major crop in India and its cultivation in northwest India started 25 to 30 years ago in assured irrigation areas during the summer rainy season. In this region, rice-wheat rotation became most popular owing to its high yields; however, these crops are highly infested by the weeds, thus farmers use herbicides for their control. Hence, this rotation consumes a maximum quantity of herbicides in this region, which has resulted in several problems (environmental pollution, human health hazards, development of herbicide resistance in weeds). Thus, serious ecological questions about the reliance on herbicides for weed control in this rotation have been raised. One of the alternatives to overcome these problems is with the use of allelopathic strategies, including the use of weed-smothering crops for weed management and for the sustainability of agriculture. The field, pot culture, and laboratory studies have shown that inclusion of weed-smothering crops in rotation considerably reduced the weed population in the current and succeeding crops. Early summer (April-June) fodder crops of sorghum, pearlmillet and maize drastically smothered the weed population and biomass. The residual suppression effect of peralmillet also persisted in the next crop up to 45 days. Thus, it is conceptualized that the inclusion of such summer fodder crops before the rice crop in the rice-wheat rotation may provide satisfactory weed control in the succeeding rice crop and may minimize the use of herbicides. Likewise, the replacement of wheat by winter fodder crops of oat and berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) may also help in the control of winter weeds. Hence, further studies in this direction may provide satisfactory weed management in rice-wheat rotation and may minimize the use of herbicides and thereby help indeveloping sustainable agricultural practices.     

Dominant species of dicot-weeds and weed biodiversity in spring barley in Latvia

The composition of weed species in spring barley and weed biodiversity was evaluated in experiments in different growing seasons and with different previous crops. The aim of the experiments was to evaluate the composition of weed species in spring barley during a four year period in weather conditions of different growing seasons and with different previous crop as well as to assess the biodiversity in the experiments where the different groups of herbicides were applied. Over years and previous crops, the dicotyledonous weed community was dominated by Chenopodium album, followed by Viola arvensis. The herbicides from different groups had significant influences on the biodiversity of weeds.     

Combining ability for resistance in peanut (Arachis hypogaea) to Peanut bud necrosis tospovirus (PBNV)

The combining abilities of field resistance to peanut bud necrosis disease (PBND) caused by Peanut bud necrosis tospovirus (PBNV) were examined to understand the type of gene action governing resistance to the disease, and to identify peanut lines suitable for use as parents in a PBND‐resistance breeding programme. The Ft and F2 progenies from a six‐parent diallel cross and their parents were evaluated under field conditions. They were assessed for disease incidence at 30, 40, 50 and 60 days after planting (DAP), and reactions of the lines to the disease could be best differentiated at 50 and 60 DAP. Results indicated highly significant general combining ability (GCA) effects for PBND incidence in F₁ and F₂ generations. Specific combining ability (SCA) and reciprocal effects were also found to be significant, but their relative contributions to variation among crosses were much less than those of GCA effects. These results suggested that the type of gene action governing resistance to PBND was mainly additive, and selection for PBND resistance in these populations should be effective. Strong correlation coefficients between parental means and GCA effects for disease incidence were seen in both Ft and F2 generations, suggesting that per se performance of the parental line could be used as a predictor of the capability of the line to transmit its PBND‐resistant attribute to progenies. The reciprocal effects were in favour of using resistant lines as female parents. The peanut lines ICGV 86388, 1C 10 and 1C 34 were found to be suitable for use in a PBND–resistance breeding programme.     

Inhibitory effects of redroot pigweed and crabgrass on switchgrass germination and growth—from lab to field

Interactions between weeds and crops often occur by resource competition or allelopathy. However, it is still unknown how local weed species influence artificially introduced switchgrass. In this study, four experiments were conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effects of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) on germination and growth of the lowland tetraploid switchgrass cultivar ‘Alamo’ (Panicum virgatum cv. Alamo). Switchgrass germination was significantly inhibited in Petri dishes, with 48.1% and 33.9% inhibitions on germination rate by redroot pigweed and crabgrass root aqueous extracts, respectively, at 0.1 g mL^?1 concentration. Significant inhibitory effects on switchgrass seedling biomass were observed at 5:5 ratio with redroot pigweed and crabgrass in glass jars, with 61.6% and 53.4% inhibitions on plant biomass, respectively. Under the same root segregation, redroot pigweed had a stronger inhibitory effect on switchgrass seedling growth than crabgrass. Growth of transplanted switchgrass seedlings was significantly inhibited by local weeds in the field, with 46.2% and 11.7% inhibitions on shoot biomass during the first and second growing seasons, respectively. However, no significant growth reduction in switchgrass was detected in the third growing season. These findings further our understanding of weed–crop interactions and could help develop weeds management strategies with ecological security.