Field Infestation Research Articles

Ecophylogeography of Cassava Mosaic Disease Viruses Reveals a Distribution Linked to the Agro-ecosystems of Yangambi Region in Democratic Republic of Congo

A molecular epidemiology study of cassava mosaic begomoviruses was conducted in Yangambi (DRCongo). 120 cassava fields were investigated in 150 Km circle around the Agricultural Research Centre of Yangambi in various agro-ecosystems. Fields incidence and severity of CMD were scored, and whiteflies population counted per plant. 140 Cassava leaves samples, up to 100 weeds (Fabaceae) supposed to be alternate hosts of CMBs and 132 adults whiteflies were collected in cassava fields for molecular analysis. Targeted genes by PCR using specific primers were AC2 and AC4, which are the genes implied in the suppression of cassava mechanism of defence. Phylogeographical analysis of results showed that the virus distribution is linked to the agro-ecosystems. Moderate ACMV and EACMV-UG isolates associated with mild symptoms grouped in separate clusters based on a phylogenetic analysis of genes AC2 & AC4. They were found in spatial discontinuous cassava cropping ecosystem lying in evergreen humid forest, and to a lesser extent, in permanent flood land and the deciduous high forest, where cassava crop is less intensive (disease severity 2.53±0.55). In the more intensively cropped areas around cities and villages and the neighbouring secondary forest, the severe isolates were limited to spatial continuous cropping systems (disease severity 3.78±0.50). Such results were also correlated with the mean number of whitefly per leaf or the incidence of disease. EACMV-UG isolates spread in the different ecosystems suggest multiple introductions of virus. Our study focused on the potential contribution of forest plants species diversity to mitigate the effect of CMD. The results showed also that CMD viruses are widely spread throughout the investigated area. Dual infection was common both in cassava (66%) and in whiteflies vectors (59%). The EACMV-UGSer was predominant, in relationship with highly infested fields.

Influence of basic soil tillage methods on fresh yield and quality of winter rape cultivars

The development of rational system of basic soil tillage results in formation of sufficiently high crop yields. A two-factor field experiment was carried out to address these issues when cultivating winter rape cultivars on light chestnut soils of the Primorsko-Caspian sub-province of the Republic of Dagestan. VEM (standard), Elvis and Meteor winter rape cultivars were studied in the experiment. The following methods of soil tillage were studied: real tillage (control), subsoil tillage. The research revealed that there was no significant difference in agrophysical indicators between the soil cultivation variants. Data on weed infestation of winter rape fields showed that the number of weeds and their weight increased significantly after subsoil tillage. At the budding stage, the number of weeds increased 2.1-fold compared to the control (real tillage), and the weight of weeds increased 1.88-fold. During flowering stage, these indicators were 2.2 times higher. The maximum yield in all variants of the experiment was formed by Elvis cultivar - 44.9 and 41.4 t/ha, respectively, which is more than VEM (standard) and Meteor cultivars by 20.4 t/ha (7.9 %) and 20.0 t/ha (8.7 %), respectively. The yield of Meteor cultivar in these variants was also high and amounted to 41.6 and 38.1 t/ha, respectively, which was higher by 11.5 and 10.4 % compared with the standard. The greatest increase in the fresh yield was provided by real tillage. On average, the yield increased by 8.7 % for varieties in comparison with subsoil cultivation. Elvis cultivar formed the best quality indicators, followed by Meteor cultivar.

Weed infestation is affected by chickpea farmer demographics and agronomic practices

AbstractTo investigate the effects of agronomic practices and farmer demographics on levels of weed infestation in chickpea fields, a survey was conducted during 2015 in Sanjabi district, Kermanshah, Iran. Two sets of data were collected: (a) weed sampling from the selected chickpea fields, and (b) questionnaire recording of farmer demographics and agronomic management. The farmers were asked about their residence status (resident or migrant), occupation (farming only, farming plus a second job), experience and education levels, as well as seedbed preparation, sowing date and method, source of seed supply, crop cultivar, sowing seed rate, weed control operation and crop rotation history. The results showed that weed species composition was similar across the studied fields. The use of a row crop planter, a sowing rate of 45 kg ha‐1, and weed control resulted in 30.2, 23.03 and 34.2% reductions in weed infestation compared with hand sowing, a sowing rate of 30 kg ha‐1 and lack of weed control, respectively. Weed density decreased with increasing farmer experience and decreased by 33.0% and 23.5% in chickpea fields of resident farmers and owners whose sole occupation was agriculture. We found that 89.5% of the most experienced farmers adopted weed control operations and most resident landowners (77.4%) opted for crop planter (77.4%) and weed control (90.3%) compared to migrant farmers (50 and 68.5%, respectively). More landowners who were exclusively farmers performed weed control (90.6%) than owners who had a second job (67.9%).

EFFICACY OF VARIETY AND MUSTARD CROP RESIDUES ON WEED MANAGEMENT AND CROP PERFORMANCE OF TRANSPLANT AMAN RICE

Weed infestation in rice field is always subject to agro ecological condition and growing seasons. Weeds cause major yield losses in crops and also reduce their quality. An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to investigate the efficacy of mustard crop residues on weed management and crop performance of transplant aman rice. The experiment consisted of three cultivars and five different levels of mustard crop residues. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Weed population, weed dry weight and percent inhibition of weed were significantly influenced by mustard crop residues and cultivar. The maximum weed growth was noticed with the cultivar BRRI dhan34 and the minimum was found in the cultivar BRRI dhan49. The grain yield and other yield contributing characters produced by BRRI dhan49 was the highest among the studied varieties. The highest percent inhibition of 73.36, 78.82, 71.90, 76.83 and 81.53 found in Pani kachu, Chechra, Pani shapla, Shama and Sabuj nakful, respectively with the application of mustard crop residues at 3.0 t ha-1 + one hand weeding. It can be concluded that BRRI dhan49 and mustard crop residues showed potentiality to inhibit weed growth and it has a significant effect on the yield of transplant aman rice. Therefore, mustard crop residues could be recommended to use as an alternative tool for weed management.

Effectiveness of Sterile Insect Technique for Medfly (Ceratitis capitata, Wiedemann, 1824) Control in Citrus Orchards of Moulouya Perimeter North East of Morocco

The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an effective pest control method developed worldwide against many species of Fruit Flies. It involves the release of male insects sterilized, at pupae instar, by exposure to ionizing radiation. The Area-wide control of medfly (Ceratitis capitata), with SIT based on sterile males release combined to other control techniques, was implemented since 2017 as a pilot area in Moulouya Perimeter in North-eastern Morocco. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this tool in controlling Medfly and estimate sterile male population densities from data collected from trap catches after the release of a pre-determined number of sterile males in five Citrus orchards (0, 500, 1000 and 3000 sterile males per hectare) and the calculation of FTD (fly/trap/day) of sterile and wild males. The result showed that the percentage of recaptured males and FTD Sterile indices were related to release density by power function regression, while the sterile to wild ratio and release density were linear regression-adjusted. The finding confirmed the effectiveness of release in reducing the fly population in the TIS area by reducing the rate of citrus infestation in field and export shipments.

Annual study of Leptocybe invasa gall’s number Fisher & La Salle 2004 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) in the North-East of Algeria

Eucalyptus camaldulensis is an essence of the family Myrtaceae. It resists a certain salt content and the sea wind. Despite that, it subject to many factors of degradation as parasitic and harmful insects. In the last years, an insect is detected on the foliage of Eucalyptus camaldulensis trees in Algeria (North-East region). The results made it possible evidence the presence of one harmful species Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle 2004 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), this parasite has been detected in 2006, The Chronology of Gall’s emergence of Leptocybe invasa and its field infestation rate were followed since 2010, in Eucalyptus plantation in the North-East Region. Some statistical methods of Gall’s emergence of this pest is reviewed and discussed. First, after exploration, we selected the most affected trees, second, we organized the samples of each tree, we respected the orientation (North-South-East-West). For each study site 10 trees were marked. 30 leaves of each tree were removed, so it is 300 leaves for each site, which were analyzed. We used the method of time series that connects the time with the number of galls. This study is based on the number of galls observed, on both sides of the leaves. In order to highlight the degree of attack of pests. The outputs were made from October 2012 to October 2013, due to two outputs per month.
 Keywords: Eucalyptus, gall wasps, Eulophidae, gall inducers, Algeria.

Identification of QTLs for grain yield and other traits in tropical maize under Striga infestation.

Striga is an important biotic factor limiting maize production in sub-Saharan Africa and can cause yield losses as high as 100%. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) approaches hold a great potential for improving Striga resistance but requires identification and use of markers associated with Striga resistance for adequate genetic gains from selection. However, there is no report on the discovery of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to Striga in maize under artificial field infestation. In the present study, 198 BC1S1 families obtained from a cross involving TZEEI 29 (Striga resistant inbred line) and TZEEI 23 (Striga susceptible inbred line) plus the two parental lines were screened under artificial Striga-infested conditions at two Striga-endemic locations in Nigeria in 2018, to identify QTL associated with Striga resistance indicator traits, including grain yield, ears per plant, Striga damage and number of emerged Striga plants. Genetic map was constructed using 1,386 DArTseq markers distributed across the 10 maize chromosomes, covering 2076 cM of the total genome with a mean spacing of 0.11 cM between the markers. Using composite interval mapping (CIM), fourteen QTL were identified for key Striga resistance/tolerance indicator traits: 3 QTL for grain yield, 4 for ears per plant and 7 for Striga damage at 10 weeks after planting (WAP), across environments. Putative candidate genes which encode major transcription factor families WRKY, bHLH, AP2-EREBPs, MYB, and bZIP involved in plant defense signaling were detected for Striga resistance/tolerance indicator traits. The QTL detected in the present study would be useful for rapid transfer of Striga resistance/tolerance genes into Striga susceptible but high yielding maize genotypes using MAS approaches after validation. Further studies on validation of the QTL in different genetic backgrounds and in different environments would help verify their reproducibility and effective use in breeding for Striga resistance/tolerance.

Detection of Italian Ryegrass in Wheat and Prediction of Competitive Interactions Using Remote-Sensing and Machine-Learning Techniques

Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum (Lam) Husnot) is a troublesome weed species in wheat (Triticum aestivum) production in the United States, severely affecting grain yields. Spatial mapping of ryegrass infestation in wheat fields and early prediction of its impact on yield can assist management decision making. In this study, unmanned aerial systems (UAS)-based red, green and blue (RGB) imageries acquired at an early wheat growth stage in two different experimental sites were used for developing predictive models. Deep neural networks (DNNs) coupled with an extensive feature selection method were used to detect ryegrass in wheat and estimate ryegrass canopy coverage. Predictive models were developed by regressing early-season ryegrass canopy coverage (%) with end-of-season (at wheat maturity) biomass and seed yield of ryegrass, as well as biomass and grain yield reduction (%) of wheat. Italian ryegrass was detected with high accuracy (precision = 95.44 ± 4.27%, recall = 95.48 ± 5.05%, F-score = 95.56 ± 4.11%) using the best model which included four features: hue, saturation, excess green index, and visible atmospheric resistant index. End-of-season ryegrass biomass was predicted with high accuracy (R2 = 0.87), whereas the other variables had moderate to high accuracy levels (R2 values of 0.74 for ryegrass seed yield, 0.73 for wheat biomass reduction, and 0.69 for wheat grain yield reduction). The methodology demonstrated in the current study shows great potential for mapping and quantifying ryegrass infestation and predicting its competitive response in wheat, allowing for timely management decisions.

Interactions between common vole and winter rape.

Winter rape is a widespread crop in Europe that provides the common vole with a suitable diet and cover from autumn to late spring (approximately 8 months). This review shows the following: That common vole populations reach a high density in winter rape. Widespread rape fields (large size) provide better support for common vole populations compared to winter cereals. That a high-quality supply from winter rape enables the common vole to extend its reproductive season and successfully overwinter. That the diet of the common vole primarily comprises the green vegetative parts of winter rape. The percentage of weed species in the diet depends on weed coverage in the crop. That the impact of the common vole on winter rape correlates with vole density. That no-tillage farming enhances common vole infestation of winter rape fields, particularly in spring, and is related to damage to adjacent crops. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biological control of root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, in vitro, greenhouse and field in cucumber

Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum and Pochonia chlamydosporia as culture filtrates applied alone and in combinations in vitro and in planta green house and field studies against M. incognita using cucumber cultivar “Beith alpha”. In vitro study conducted on M. incognita, cumulative percent hatch inhibition and J2s mortality of M. incognita reached to 100% over 72 h of incubation in spring, 2014 and 2015 by fungal bio-agent combination viz., P. chrysogenum + P. chlamydosporia. All the fungal bio-control agents significantly suppressed M. incognita on cucumber in green house and field trials. The fungal bio-control agent combination viz., P. chrysogenum + P. chlamydosporia had the greatest effects on nematode galling indices, egg masses and adult females per 10 g of cucumber roots and substantially reduced the reproductive factors in both year greenhouse experiments. Field trials conducted under natural field infestation at Dargai, filtrates of the fungal bio-agent combination P. chrysogenum + P. chlamydosporia reduced the nematode parameters and enhanced the plant growth parameters of cucumber in the spring, 2014 and 2015 years trials with attendant yield increase. These data suggest that filtrates of fungal bio-agents viz., A. flavus, P. chrysogenum and P. chlamydsporia could be used alone or in different combinations in an integrated pest management as an effective strategy for M. incognita.

Soil seedbank: Old methods for new challenges in agroecology?

AbstractThe weed soil seedbank is of interest in agroecosystems as a major source of weed infestation in fields and as a reservoir of plant and seed‐feeder diversity. A seedbank is a characteristic of annual plants and has been the focus of numerous studies, as it reflects the past aboveground vegetation and is the reservoir of the future vegetation. Therefore, it potentially can be used to evaluate the past, present and future annual weed communities. The goal of this paper was to provide guidelines to help researchers to do a weed seedbank survey. Through a qualitative review of 60 weed seedbank articles, we investigate why and how the seedbank has been studied in agronomy. It shows that seedbank studies have been performed to address the following four major objectives: (a) the assessment of weed management practices on weed communities; (b) the relationship between seedbank and aboveground vegetation; (c) the study of composition and diversity of seedbank in a given area; and, (d) the quantification of seedbank as a food resource for wildlife. Because the analysis highlighted a wide range of methodologies to estimate the seedbank, we critically reviewed them. We show that the selected methodology strongly affects the seedbank estimate. Nevertheless, in our sample of research articles, the analysis revealed that the choice of the methodology was not always justified in terms of achieving a particular scientific goal, but was often determined by the resources available for the experiment (e.g., workload). While studying the soil seedbank remains of interest for scientists (proved by the amount of recent publications), it is time consuming and requires considerable botanical skill. Innovative methods of estimation are scarce and novel methodological developments are needed to increase the quality and reliability of the data obtained.

Effect of broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) on some agro-morphological and biochemical traits of Tunisian and some reference sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) accessions

Orobanche cumana Wallr. is an important new problem for sunflower crop in Tunisia. Little information is available on the behavior of sunflower to O. cumana infestation in this region. Research activities are focusing on screening some sunflower accessions in order to identify resistant ones and to develop other cultural and biological methods to use them in integrated way to reduce the impact of this parasite. For this purpose, field natural infestation and artificial inoculation in pots and Petri dishes evaluations were conducted using eleven sunflower accessions out of them 4 introduced lines were known by their resistance to O. cumana used as reference. In infested field, three of the reference lines (TL12, TL15 and TL16) did not show any emerged broomrape shoot and the values of their major agro-morphological parameters were not affected by parasitism. Results of pots and Petri dishes experiments confirmed the field testing. In the resistant lines, the stems dry weight, the number and weight of sunflower seeds were not significantly reduced under infestation contrarily to the others accessions. The resistance of these lines is characterized by reduced germination percentage of Orobanche seeds and low attachments/tubercles number of the parasite. O. cumana infection do not influence seed oil content in resistant lines contrarily to susceptible accessions. Nevertheless, no relationship was found between fatty acids composition and resistance to broomrape infestation. These results would be useful for improving resistance of sunflower against broomrape.‎

An emerging pest of radish, striped flea beetle Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius), from Northern India: incidence, diagnosis and molecular analysis

Severe incidence of striped flea beetle, Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in radish is being reported from Delhi National Capital Region and Haryana. The larvae and adult of this species were found to damage both roots and leaves of radish, respectively. Overall there was an average 63.02 percent leaf infestation and 53.96 percent root infestation in the radish fields surveyed, which was above the economic threshold level (25% infestation). Infestation was also observed on other cruciferous crops like turnip, mustard, cabbage and cauliflower in National Capital Region and Haryana. In the present study, we have furnished the species diagnosis, sexual dimorphism, nature of damage and illustrations of various stages of the pest. DNA barcoding was employed to confirm the species identity and molecular phylogenetic studies based on mt CO I sequences from across the world showed that there were two clusters; the Old World and the New World. The biology of the pest and the importance of studies on area specific population dynamics for formulating management strategies are discussed.

Geographic Distribution of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1F Toxin Resistance in Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations in the United States.

The western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), can be a severe pest of transgenic corn in the western Plains and Great Lakes regions of North America, including on hybrids expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1F toxin. The level and geographic distribution of Cry1F resistance are not completely known. Neonate S. albicosta from 10 locations between Nebraska and New York state were subjected to dose-response trypsin-activated native Cry1F toxin overlay bioassays. In 2017, the mean estimated lethal concentration causing 50% larval mortality (LC50) ranged from 15.1 to 18.4 µg Cry1F cm-2, and were not significantly different among locations. In 2018, LC50 estimates at Scottsbluff, NE (22.0 µg Cry1F cm-2) and Watertown, NY (21.7 µg Cry1F cm-2) were significantly higher when compared to locations in Michigan (15.8 µg Cry1F cm-2). Significantly lower 14-day larval weight among survivors was correlated with higher Cry1F dose. Results from this study indicate that S. albicosta survivorship on purified Bt Cry1F toxin shows a relatively even distribution across the native and range expansion areas where seasonal field infestations typically occur.

PRODUCTIVITY OF WINTER WHEAT IN FIELDS CLEARED OF CREEPING MUSTARD

The productivity of winter wheat, as well as other grain crops, depends to a large extent on the infestation of fields and in particular on the stem of the quarantine weed – creeper bittern. The article presents the data of experiments on the study of agrotechnical and chemical methods of fighting creeping bittern. In experiments, we studied 3 methods of the main treatment of black steam, after which winter wheat was sown: plowing to a depth of 0.20-0.22 m (control); non-fallow processing to a depth of 0.25-0.27 m and chisel processing to a depth of 0.45 m with a reservoir turnover of 0.20-0.22 m. in the first decade of June, when the creeping bittern was in the budding or flowering phase, black steam was treated with two and three-component tank mixtures of herbicides. The greatest biological effectiveness of herbicides after 60 days was on the Curtin of creeper mustard with spraying with a three-component tank mixture of Esteron, Dominator and Lontrel Grand and was equal to 89 to 94% depending on the previous main treatment of black steam. The largest biological yield of winter wheat against the background of chisel processing and in General according to experience was on the variant with a three component tank mix Esteron+Dominator+Lontrel Grand and on average for 2016-2019 it was 3.46 t / ha, which was 0.41 t/ha or 4.1 centner per hectare more than on the background of plowing and 0.59 t / ha or 5.9 centner per hectare more than on the background of non-tillage.

Fusarium Wilt Management in Legume Crops

Legumes are among the most important crops worldwide for human and animal consumption. However, yield inconsistency due to susceptibility to pests and diseases strongly affects its production. Among diseases affecting legumes, Fusarium wilt caused by the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl. (Fo) is one of the major factors limiting production worldwide. This disease can cause total losses in highly infested fields of some legume species. To minimize yield losses, integrated disease management strategies combining different agronomic practices with the use of resistant varieties should be applied. Although often characterized by a high degree of host specificity, with formae speciales (ff. spp.) and races identified, some Fo ff. spp. can have a broader host range, infecting more than one species, requiring further investigation. In this review, we describe the state of the art on legume Fusarium wilt management achievements, highlighting different aspects such as the use of rhizosphere microbiota as biocontrol agents, crop rotation and the use of resistant varieties. The different methods of identification and characterization of resistance sources, mechanisms as well as the genetic basis of resistance or the development of molecular tools to support legume precision breeding for Fo resistance are discussed.

Resistance to white rot disease and enhancement of yield and its components by selection in mutants of two garlic cultivars

This study was conducted during the winter seasons of 2015 to 2019 to select garlic clones superior in yield, quality and tolerant or resistant to white rot disease. Fourteen mutants from Balady and five mutants from Egassed-1 garlic cvs. were isolated in stable form and selected after 4 successive generations (M1V4) from previous breeding program using mutagens <i>viz</i>., di-ethyel sulphate (DES), di (2-chloro ethyel) amine (DEA) and gamma ray. Cloves of two local garlic cultivars (Balady and Egassed-1) were irradiated with gamma ray doses <i>i.e.</i> 1, 3, 5,10 and 15 Gy or treated with previous mutagens. Out of Balady selected clones, Mut 6-1 and Mut 6 had the heaviest cloves compared to the original cultivar with values of 3.8 and 3.6 g/cloves, in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017seasons, respectively. Likewise, Mut 6-2 and Mut 7 which resulted from Eggaseed-1 cv. had the heaviest cloves compared to the original cultivar with values of 7.6 and 7.2 g/cloves, in the first and second seasons, respectively. Significant positive correlations were detected between the most of the desirable traits. Artificial infestation with <i>Sclerotium cepivorum</i> was carried out under greenhouse conditions during two successive seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 and under natural infestation in the open field to evaluate the resistance in the two cultivars and their mutants. In case of Balady cv., Mut 6-1 (10 GY) and Mut 2 (0.1 % DEA) were highly tolerant in the two tested seasons with infection percentage of 11.33 and 12.33 % in the first season and 13.33 and 15.33 % in the second one with efficacy 80.4, 78.74 and 78.15, 74.87 %, respectively, compared to Balady (58 and 61 % infection). Regarding, Eggaseed-1 cv., Mut 6-2 and Mut 6-1 resulted from irridiation (10 GY) were highly tolerant mutants in the two tested seasons with infection percentage of 8.33 and 10.67 % in the first season and 9 and 10.67 % in the second one with efficacy 81.21, 75.93 % and 81.38, 79.99 %, respectively as compared to original cultivar,(44.33 and 48.33 % infection). Results of employed QRT-PCR technique showed that Mut 6-1 (10 GY) which had significantly high tolerance to garlic white rot disease showed great regulation-up of detective defense genes (<i>PR1, PR5, PAL and HQT</i>) with high relative expression values compared to original cultivar, Balady. Similar results were obtained in case of Eggaseed-1 cv. Results showed that respective encoded PR and polyphenol synthase genes might have played important role in defense reaction of obtained mutants of two tested garlic cultivars against<i> S. cepivorum</i> infection<i>. </i>Mutants with high tolerance to garlic white rot disease could be used by growers in the infested areas.

Chronology of Gall’s emergence of Dryomyia lichtensteini F.Löw, 1878 (Diptera: Cecidomyidae) and its effect on Quercus ilex’s Sanitary state in Setif (Algeria)

In the last years, an insect is detected on the foliage of Quercus ilex trees in Algeria (North-East region). Dryomyia lichtensteini F.Löw, 1878 (Diptera: Cecidomyidae), The Chronology of Gall’s emergence of Dryomyia lichtensteini and its field infestation rate were followed since 2014, in evergreen oak plantation in the Algerian North-East Region (Setif). Some statistical methods of Gall’s emergence of this pest and its effect at Quercus ilex’s Sanitary state are reviewed and discussed. For each study area (North-South-East-West), 10 trees were marked. 30 leaves of each tree were removed, so it is 300 leaves for each site, which were analyzed. This study is based on the number of galls observed. In order to highlight the degree of attack of pests. The outputs were made from November 2014 to November 2016, due to one output per month.&#x0D; Keywords: Quercus ilex, Cecidomyidae, gall inducers, Algeria

A review: application of remote sensing as a promising strategy for insect pests and diseases management.

The present review provides a perspective angle on the historical and cutting-edge strategies of remote sensing techniques and its applications, especially for insect pest and plant disease management. Remote sensing depends on measuring, recording, and processing the electromagnetic radiation reflected and emitted from the ground target. Remote sensing applications depend on the spectral behavior of living organisms. Today, remote sensing is used as an effective tool for the detection, forecasting, and management of insect pests and plant diseases on different fruit orchards and crops. The main objectives of these applications were to collate data that help in decision-making for insect pest management and decreasing the environmental pollution of chemical pesticides. Airborne remote sensing has been a promising and useful tool for insect pest management and weed detection. Furthermore, remote sensing using satellite information proved to be a promising tool in forecasting and monitoring the distribution of locust species. It has also been used to help farmers in the early detection of mite infestation in cotton fields using multi-spectral systems, which depend on color changes in canopy semblance over time. Remote sensing can provide fast and accurate forecasting of targeted insect pests and subsequently minimizing pest damage and the management costs.

Grafted Coffee Increases Yield and Survivability

Kona coffee root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne konaensis) cause severe declines in ‘Kona Typica’ arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) trees in Hawaii. Defoliation and destruction of the root system result in significant yield losses and can kill the host. Grafting with other coffee (Coffea) species that exhibit tolerance to kona coffee root-knot nematodes is a viable solution for mitigating damage in the field. An infested field was established in 2006 with ‘Kona Typica’ scions grafted on seven accessions of promising rootstock and nongrafted ‘Kona Typica’ as the control. Four grafted trees of each accession were planted per plot with four repetitions. Yield data were assessed for the 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19 seasons. Three liberica coffee (Coffea liberica) accessions [‘Arnoldiana’ (‘Arnoldiana’ 1 and ‘Arnoldiana’ 2), ‘Dewevrei’, and ‘Fukunaga’ 1], demonstrated higher yields of coffee cherry compared with nongrafted ‘Kona Typica’ in the 2016–17 season. In the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, five accessions of liberica and ‘Nemaya’ robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) exhibited higher cherry yields than ‘Kona Typica’. Plant vigor was greater in trees grafted on ‘Arnoldiana’ and ‘Fukunaga’ compared with other accessions and nongrafted ‘Kona Typica’, with taller trees, higher vertical branches, thicker trunk circumferences, and overall better health. After 13 years in the field, nongrafted ‘Kona Typica’ showed the highest mortality, with 81% of trees lost. Liberica rootstocks performed consistently well in the presence of kona coffee root-knot nematodes, with the healthiest trees, highest yields, and least mortality of the coffee species evaluated.