Last Week Of October Research Articles

Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in mosquitoes from Corsica Island, France

BackgroundDirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are the main causative agents of heartworm disease and subcutaneous dirofilariasis in domestic and wild canids, respectively. Both pathogens have zoonotic potential and are transmitted by mosquitoes. The present study aimed to determine the transmission period, prevalence and diversity of Dirofilaria spp. vectors from endemic areas of Corsica (France).MethodsA monthly point data model based on average temperature recorded by four meteorological stations during 2017 was used to calculate the Dirofilaria transmission period. From June to September 2017, female mosquitoes (n = 1802) were captured using Biogents® Sentinel 2 traps lured with carbon dioxide and BG-Lure™ or octanol. Mosquitoes were identified to species level, pooled accordingly, and screened using multiplex real-time qPCR to detect D. immitis and D. repens.ResultsThe monthly point data model showed the possible transmission of Dirofilaria spp. from the third week in May to the last week in October in the studied area. Mosquitoes were identified as Ochlerotatus caspius (n = 1432), Aedes albopictus (n = 199), Culex pipiens sensu lato (n = 165) and Aedes vexans (n = 6) and were grouped into 109 pools (from 1 to 27 specimens, mean 11.4 ± 0.7), of which 16 scored positive for Dirofilaria spp. (i.e., n = 13; estimated infection rate [EIR] = 1.1% for D. immitis and n = 3; EIR = 0.2% for D. repens). Specifically, 6 (i.e., EIR = 3.8%) of 15 pools of Ae. albopictus were positive for D. immitis, 2 of 14 of Cx. pipiens s.l. were positive for D. immitis and D. repens, respectively, and 8 of 77 pools of Oc. caspius were positive for D. immitis (i.e., n = 6; EIR = 0.4%) and D. repens (i.e., 2; EIR = 0.1%). The highest mosquito infection rate was recorded in July (EIR = 2.5%), then in June (EIR = 1.3%) and September (EIR = 0.6%).ConclusionsThe data suggest that both Dirofilaria species are endemic and occur possibly in sympatry in the studied area in Corsica, highlighting the need to implement preventive chemoprophylaxis and vector control strategies to reduce the risk of these filarioids in dog and human populations.Graphical

Synoptic Situation of 28-31 October 2017 Severe Dust Storm over Iraq

The phenomenon of dust storms occurs in areas that are characterized by drought, and lack of rainfalls. There are many such areas around the world, including the Middle East in general and large parts of Iraq in particular. In the last week of October 2017, a severe dust storm occurred over Iraq and lasted for four days, the aim of this work was to investigate the synoptic situation of this severe storm using remote sensing data. Data include daily true-color images, Aerosols Index (AI), surface weather maps, and 850 Mb weather maps. These data were analyzed for the four days of the storm (28-31 Oct 2017). The results showed that the storm was triggered on the 28th of October over the northwestern part of Iraq. The weather maps revealed that the cause, development, and transport of this storm were caused by a low-pressure system. This system was developed just over the source area of dust on the first day of the storm, and two ridges in which one has existed over the north of Iran and the second advanced from Egypt during the second day of the storm. The pattern of the trough and two ridges on the second and third day caused the storm to halt over central and southwestern areas of Iraq and the northern border of Saudi Arabia with Iraq. On the fourth day, the storm was moved by the northwesterly wind towards the south of Iraq and Kuwait.

Approaches to Assess E-Health Programs: A Scoping Review.

Context:With the increasing trend of adopting e-Health technologies, the need for evidence for assessing e-Health technologies has become crucial. The appraisal of the e-Health program is important as this could provide guidance on further e-Health investment and adoption.Aims:The aim of the study was to provide an articulated body of literature on the current state of knowledge about the assessment of e-Health interventions.Settings and Design:Scoping review was conducted based on the framework provided by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and considering enhancements proposed by Peters et al. (2015).Subjects and Methods:We searched the electronic databases and available gray literature from inception until the last week of October 2019. PRISMA flowchart for the study selection process was used to guide reporting. Data extraction included information on study design, authors, year of study, country, and key findings in terms of approaches used for assessment of e-Health programs. Data were compiled and summarized narratively.Results:Searches were performed between October and December 2019. Seventy-one relevant papers published between the years until the last week of October 2019 were reviewed and analyzed. After considering all the eligibility criteria, 15 papers were included. We identified 15 approaches for assessing e-Health programs, which were summarized and tabulated.Conclusions:This review showed that available literature on the assessment of e-Health programs is heterogeneous in terms of the methodology used. e-Health interventions are highly contextual; therefore; the phase of maturity and objective of the assessment should be considered while carrying out the assessment of e-Health programs.

Seasonal incidence of major insect pests infesting brinjal (Solanum melongena) crop in Udaipur, India

A field trial was conducted to find out the seasonal incidence of major insects pests of brinjal during August to December at Horticulture Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur. The investigation revealed that the incidence ofjassid (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) and white fly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) commenced after third week of August. The population of jassids touched the peak (15.87 jassids per 5 plants) during 1st-7th October at 28.25°C mean temperature and 65.65% relative humidity, whereas whiteflies reached the peak level during the 24th-30th September (34.76 white flies per 5 plants) with 25.55°C temperature and 65.20% relative humidity. The minimum population ofjassids and white flies were observed during the beginning of December (1.54 jassids per 5 plants) with 20.50°C temperature and 50.25% relative humidity and third week of August (1.43 white flies per 5 plats) at 26.45°C temperature and 73.8 relative humidity, respectively; whereas the incidence of brinjal shoot and fruit borer (Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee) appeared last week of September with 8.34% infestation on fruits at 25.55°C mean temperature and 65.20% relative humidity and incidence reached the maximum level (67.45%) during the last week of October with 24.4°C temperature and 48.25% relative humidity. The population of jassids and shoot and fruit borer was found non-significant negatively correlated with average relative humidity but jassids population positively correlated with temperature, whereas whiteflies population showed a positive significant correlation with relative humidity but non significantly negative correlation with temperature.

The Unexpected Setback to Bengaluru - COVID-19 Disaster Management Review

Negative impact of COVID-19 exist in every place of the Indian1 subcontinent. Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi were affected so badly in Quarter 2 with a huge number of cases; however, Kolkata and Bangalore were doing good with a smaller number of cases. At Bangalore, as on 15 June 2020, the situation was good2 and by end of June 2020, the COVID19 situation of Bangalore started towards the negative side as the number of cases is increasing more. By the last week of October, the number of confirmed cases came down. Aim: The primary objective of the research paper is to explore the current state of COVID-19 pandemic of Bangalore by comparing the previous months. We attempt to explain how the condition was good till June and how badly it was affected by the huge number of cases (4-5 times) from June end onwards. Further, we predict the confirmed cases and death rates for the forthcoming days for Bangalore. Technique, Sample and method: For this research work, we have used the data from 15 June 2020 to 26 October 2020 from the government of Karnataka and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike3 (BBMP). To forecast the COVID-19 cumulative confirmed and death cases for Bangalore and Other major cities (for comparison), we have used FORECAST.ETS function in Microsoft Excel. The forecasting is estimated till 31 December 2020. Results: By 15 Nov 2020, the forecasted cumulative cases would be 368264 in the Bangalore city. By 30 Nov 2020, the forecasted cumulative cases would be 398929. By 15 Dec 2020, the forecasted cumulative cases would be 429594 and by 31 Dec 2020, the forecasted cumulative cases would be 462303. If the situation goes bad due to various reasons, the number of cumulative cases may go up to 634462. The average COVID-19 case growth of Bangalore is 141% (Average from June to Oct 2020). Conclusion: When Major cities of India were doing bad in terms of COVID-19, Bangalore was doing well for the first few months. From June end onwards, the covid-19 cases increased in Bangalore by 4-5 times which is unexpected. By the end of October, the rate of COVID-19 increase is comparatively less than the previous months. For now, COVID-19 situation may be under control to some extent, however, that does not mean that this scenario will continue. At any point in time, the situation may go back to the worst condition as similar to the second wave of COVID-19 is being encountered by the European countries. Proactive approaches and pandemic management strategies should be in place to manage the worst situation. People and the economy affected badly due to COVID-19 already and it may not be feasible to suffer once again.

Prediction model for gray leaf spot disease of fodder Sorghum

Gray leaf spot (caused by Cercospora sorghi Ellis & Everh.) is one of the most destructive foliar disease in fodder sorghum. Prediction model for gray leaf spot disease in fodder sorghum was developed based on 10-year (2010–2019) disease and weather data. It can occur during week-29 (third week of July) to week-43 (last week of October) in a year. Gray leaf spot had very strong, significantly negative correlation (r) with weekly average temperature (r = − 0.77), while moderate correlation was found with weekly average relative humidity (r = − 0.41), rainy days (r = − 0.44), sunshine hours (r = 0.35) and wind speed (r = − 0.36). Rainfall (r = − 0.29) and evaporation (r = − 0.23) had low correlation with gray leaf spot severity. Prediction model was developed using multiple regression coupled with goodness of fit statistics using R2 and Akaike information criteria (AIC). The prediction model included weekly average temperature, relative humidity and rainy days as predictor variables with R2 and AIC value of 0.70 and 819.03 respectively. The model was validated using leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) strategy and difference between observed residual root mean square error (RMSE) and as predicted using LOOCV was taken as indicator of model accuracy. Residual RMSE was 12.05 while that predicted through LOOCV was 12.46, indicating that model will perform fairly well on an independent data set. This prediction model can be used for efficient prediction to manage gray leaf spot disease of fodder sorghum.

A fuzzy machine learning approach for identification of paddy stubble burnt fields

Stubble burning is the most common practice in Northern region of India and is considered as the main reason for pollution in nearby NCR (National Capital Region) New Delhi, India. Therefore, in this research work, paddy stubble burnt fields were identified by using fuzzy based machine learning algorithms for a test site in Patiala, Punjab, India. An Euclidean Distance (ED) and Gaussian Kernel based Modified Possibilistic c-Means (MPCM) algorithms were used for this purpose. The main objective of this research work was to test the effectiveness of machine learning approach for identification of paddy stubble burnt filed and also to find out the better classifier amongst Euclidean Distance (ED) and Gaussian Kernel MPCM classifier. The Sentinel 2A/2B cloud free temporal data having a high frequency of repetitiveness in the interval of 5-days were used. To reduce spectral dimensionality of data Class Based Sensor Independent Indices (CBSII) database were generated. The burning was mainly observed from the last week of October to the first week of November and has been visualized using variation of CBSII-NDVI temporal plot. Normalized Burnt Ratio (NBR) was computed and compared with CBSII-NDVI outputs for both the ED and Kernel based MPCM classifiers. Delta Normalized Burnt Ratio (ΔNBR) was computed for cross-validation of burnt patches and is found to be in between 0.45 and 0.66. Thus, it can be concluded that kernel based MPCM classifiers are more efficient in terms of accuracy and robustness to noise in comparison to distance based MPCM classifiers, for the mapping of paddy burnt fields.

Assessment of Disease Resistance and High Yielding Traits of Common Buckwheat Genotypes in Subtropical Climate of Nepal

Twelve common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) genotypes received from Hill Crops Research Program, Kabre, Dolakha were evaluated for resistance against major foliar fungal diseases and high yielding traits at the research field of National Maize Research Program, Rampur, Chitwan during winter seasons of two consecutive years 2017 and 2018. The design of the experiment was Randomized Complete Block having three replications. The unit plot size was 3m x 2m with 25cm row to row spacing and continues plant to plant spacing was maintained and net harvested plot was 6 sq meters. The experiment was planted at last week of October in both years. The recommended dose of fertilizer was 30:30:0 for N:P:K kg ha-1 respectively and seed rate 50 kg ha-1. Disease data were recorded for downy mildew (Perenospora fagopyri), powdery mildew (Erysiphepolygoni) and botrytis leaf blight (Botrytis cinerea) severity on 20 randomly tagged plants/plot. The yield and yield attributing traits were recorded. Buckwheat genotypes differed significantly (p<0.05) on disease severity, grain yield and yield attributing traits. Genotypes CBBP-01, KIF-72-22-520, GF5283, ACC#2234 and ACC#2213 were resistant to powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis leaf blight and also resulted in higher grain yield. Grain yield had found strong negative correlation with the fungal disease severity of buckwheat. These genotypes might be useful for the development of major foliar fungal disease resistant high yielding common buckwheat variety in inner terai region of Nepal.
 SAARC J. Agri., 18(1): 143-152 (2020)

Technical note: LIMS observations of lower stratospheric ozone in the southern polar springtime of 1978

Abstract. The Nimbus 7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument operated from 25 October 1978 through 28 May 1979. This note focuses on its Version 6 (V6) data and indications of ozone loss in the lower stratosphere of the Southern Hemisphere subpolar region during the last week of October 1978. We provide profiles and maps that show V6 ozone values of only 2 to 3 ppmv at 46 hPa within the edge of the polar vortex near 60∘ S from late October through mid-November 1978. There are also low values of V6 nitric acid (∼3 to 6 ppbv) and nitrogen dioxide (< 1 ppbv) at the same locations, indicating that conditions were suitable for a chemical loss of Antarctic ozone some weeks earlier. These “first light” LIMS observations provide the earliest space-based view of conditions within the lower stratospheric ozone layer of the southern polar region in springtime.

Distribution, Host Range and Bionomics of Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Linnaeus, 1761) a Polyphagous Aphid in Aquatic Vegetables

The present study records the occurrence of water lily aphid, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Linn, 1971) on different aquatic plants from Varanasi and adjoining regions, Uttar Pradesh, India for the fi rst time. Both nymphs and adults prefer to feed on petiole, leaf lamina and buds towards terminal portion of different aquatic plants. They suck the cell sap resulting in curling of leaves, stunted plant growth with lower number of fruits in water chestnut. Further, the honey dew deposited on the leaves favours the development of black sooty-mould and hinders the normal photosynthetic activity of the plants. Infestation of aphid started in the region on water chestnut during last week of October (1.35 aphids leaf-1) coinciding with the initiation of winter in the region and gradually increased with highest peak (21.95 aphids leaf-1) during fourth week of January. Amongst the different aquatic host plants under study in the region, olfactometer study showed significantly highest number of R. nymphaeae (28%) attraction towards lotus followed by of water chestnut (21.3%) and water lily (20%) and the least was with water hyacinth (4%). Amongst the biopesticides tested, L. lecanii @ 5 g lit-1was found most promising with lowest median lethal time (31.09 h) followed by neem oil (1%) (41.59 h) and M. anisopliae (43.95 h).

The impact of initial conditions on convection-permitting simulations of a flood event over complex mountainous terrain

Abstract. Western Norway suffered major flooding after 4 d of intense rainfall during the last week of October 2014. While events like this are expected to become more frequent and severe under a warming climate, convection-permitting scale models are showing their skill with respect to capturing their dynamics. Nevertheless, several sources of uncertainty need to be taken into account, including the impact of initial conditions on the precipitation pattern and discharge, especially over complex, mountainous terrain. In this paper, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model Hydrological modelling system (WRF-Hydro) is applied at a convection-permitting scale, and its performance is assessed in western Norway for the aforementioned flood event. The model is calibrated and evaluated using observations and benchmarks obtained from the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) model. The calibrated WRF-Hydro model performs better than the simpler conceptual HBV model, especially in areas with complex terrain and poor observational coverage. The sensitivity of the precipitation pattern and discharge to poorly constrained elements such as spin-up time and snow conditions is then examined. The results show the following: (1) the convection-permitting WRF-Hydro simulation generally captures the precipitation pattern/amount, the peak flow volume and the timing of the flood event; (2) precipitation is not overly sensitive to spin-up time, whereas discharge is slightly more sensitive due to the influence of soil moisture, especially during the pre-peak phase; and (3) the idealized snow depth experiments show that a maximum of 0.5 m of snow is converted to runoff irrespective of the initial snow depth and that this snowmelt contributes to discharge mostly during the rainy and the peak flow periods. Although further targeted experiments are needed, this study suggests that snow cover intensifies the extreme discharge instead of acting as a sponge, which implies that future rain-on-snow events may contribute to a higher flood risk.

Satellite Evidence of Upper Ocean Responses to Cyclone Nilofar

ABSTRACTCyclone Nilofar was the third-strongest cyclone in the Arabian Sea. It was a category 4 cyclone that arrived in last week of October 2014. It lingered in the Arabian Sea for 10 days and caused a significant phytoplankton bloom that was detected by satellite observation. In this study, the authors investigated the ocean biological and physical responses to cyclone Nilofar using chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA), sea surface wind measurements derived from different satellites, and in situ data. The maximum chl a concentration (>3.34 mg m−3) increased about 28 times in the Arabian Sea after the passage of the cyclone in comparison with the chl a concentration (0.12–0.92 mg m−3) before the passage of cyclone. Using the relationship of wind stress curl and upwelling, the authors found that during the cyclone the speed of upwelling increased more than 18 times compared with the speed in the period before the cyclone. Moreover, the mixed layer deepened by about 40 m. These findings reveal that the enhancement of chl a concentration was triggered by strong vertical mixing and upwelling. Along the track of the cyclone, the maximum sea surface cooling (4°–5°C) took place in the Arabian Sea along segments A–B and D–F where the translation speed of the cyclone was only 0.9–1.3 m s−1, and the mixed-layer depth was about 10 m in the pre-cyclone period. However, the drop in SST along segment C–D was only 1°–2°C, whereas in the pre-cyclone period the translation speed of the cyclone was 3.1–4.4 m s−1, and the mixed-layer depth was about 25 m in. So, the extent of the SST drop was probably due to the translation speed of the cyclone and the depth of the mixed layer. In addition, the region with the largest decline in SSHA can indicate the location of maximum cooling.

Integrated nutrients management in Khadrawy date palm under hot arid region

A field experiment was conducted to see the effect of organic (FYM) and inorganic (NPK) sources as well as foliar spray of micronutrients on fruit yield and quality of date palm fruits. Total eighteen treatments were taken, and allocated in randomized block design with three replications on uniform 35 years old date palmtrees. The treatments were applied during last week of October in soil application, and foliar applications of micronutrients were applied twice in November and March. The results revealed that the combined applicationof T15 (100 kg FYM + 1.00 kg N + 0.500 kg P2O5 + 1.00 kg K2O + 1.00% FeSO4 + 0.50% ZnSO4) and T14 (100 kg FYM + 1.00 kg N + 0.50 kg P2O5 + 1.00 kg K2O + 0.50% FeSO4 + 0.25% ZnSO4) significantly improved the fruit yield,total soluble solids, total sugars, reducing sugars, ascorbic acid, N, P, K, Fe and Zn content in fruit, and reduced the acidity and tannin content with higher returns over rest of the treatments. Thus, this manure, fertilizers andmicro-nutrients dose helped in sustainable optimum production of quality and nutritional fruits of date palm cv. Khadrawy in Bikaner conditions.

Unexpected Volume of Google Searches for COVID-19 Symptoms in the Prepandemic Period in Lombardia, Italy

Background: Uncertainty still surrounds the nature and origin of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, especially concerning the most probable date of spill over and worldwide propagation.Methods: An electronic search was carried out on Google Trends, with the Italian search terms “febbre” (fever), “tosse” (cough) and “raffreddore” (cold), which are among the most commonly reported COVID-19 symptoms in Italy. The search period was comprised between June 2019 and February 2020, and was limited to the area of the Lombardia region. The number of national influenza cases was also concomitantly retrieved from the Italian Network of Influenza Surveillance.Results: The trend of Google searches for “febbre” (fever), “tosse” (cough) and “raffreddore” (cold) seemed to mirror that of influenza cases, but only after the second week of November 2020. An unexpected peak of Google searches for these symptoms could be noted between the first week of September and the last week of October. This anomalous volume of Google searches could not be directly attributed to influenza spread. This increase was significantly higher compared to the same period of the previous year 2018 (20.4±15.0%; p=0.020). The volumes of Google searches for the three symptoms were also significantly inter-correlated (correlation coefficients between 0.66-0.83; all pConclusions: The results of our analysis seem to confirm that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may have started to circulate in Italy, and more specifically in the region of Lombardia, earlier before the overt pandemic period, probably already at the beginning of September 2019.

Diurnal Variations of Low-Level Winds and Precipitation Response to Large-Scale Circulations during a Heavy Rainfall Event

AbstractA succession of MCSs developed during the last week of October 2016 and produced extreme heavy rainfall in central China. The event underwent an evident shift from a mei-yu-like warm scenario to an autumn cold scenario. Diurnal cycles of rainfall and low-level winds may be modulated by the shifting of large-scale atmospheric conditions. We conducted observational analyses and numerical experiments to examine how large-scale circulations influenced rainfall systems through diurnally varying processes. The results show that, in the first half (warm) period of the event, intense rainfall mostly occurred in eastern-central China with an early morning peak. It was closely related to a nocturnal southwesterly low-level jet (NLLJ) on the flank of the western Pacific subtropical high. The NLLJ formed near midnight in southern China where ageostrophic wind rotated clockwise due to Blackadar’s inertial oscillation. The NLLJ extended downstream to central China during the predawn hours due to the horizontal advection of momentum. Both the formation and extension of the NLLJ were supported by an enhanced subtropical high that provided relatively warm conditions with surface heating for boundary layer inertial oscillation and strong background southwesterly winds for momentum transport. The NLLJ induced MCSs at its northern terminus where the low-level ascent, moisture flux convergence, and convective instability were enhanced during the predawn hours. In the second half period with an intrusion of cold air, the diurnal amplitude of low-level winds became small under relatively cold and cloudy conditions. Moderate rainfall tended to occur in western-central China with a peak after midnight, most likely due to frontogenetic processes, upslope lifting, and nighttime cloud-top cooling.

Integrated Study of Qualitative Olive and Oil Production from Three Important Varieties Grown in Calabria (Southern Italy)

AbstractOlive ripening, climate conditions, geographic area, and cultivar may influence the composition and quality of olive oils. This study aims to identify the optimal harvesting period for qualitative production of three cultivars grown in Calabria. The obtained results show that all the olive oils produced in October are classified as extra virgin, and then their quality decreases gradually, in particular in Grossa di Gerace olives, grown in a typical hot‐dry area. Oleic acid content in the oil is related to the temperature exposition during fruit growth. Considering oil yield and quality, the optimal harvesting times are identified in the first part of the month of October (142–158 days after full bloom) for Grossa di Gerace olive and in the second and last week of October (142–165 days after full bloom) for Ottobratica and Sinopolese.Practical Applications: This study investigates with a holistic approach the development and maturation of drupes and the quality of oils obtained at two harvesting times. The strong correlation between olive ripening index and the other studied parameters prove that it is a valid index for olive growers to identify the optimal harvesting period for the three Calabrian olive cultivars. To obtain high mechanical harvest efficacy, this study suggests the use of trunk shakers to Grossa di Gerace olives and mechanical beaters to Ottobratica and Sinopolese.

‘It Is Time to Operate Like a Woman’: A Corpus Based Study of Representation of Women in STEM Fields in Social Media

This study explores the discourse of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or medicine (STEM) fields produced by Twitter users on social media, with a particular focus on language usage and function in this discourse. The exploration of the women in STEM discourse was achieved by collecting a body of tweets using popular hashtags addressing women in STEM from the last week of October 2017. Following a corpus-based approach, this study analyzes the most frequent evaluative adjectives and 4-grams. Results from the analysis of evaluative adjectives show that Twitter users represent women in STEM fields positively by using positive adjectives such as great, amazing, inspirational etc. Furthermore, the analysis of the most frequent 4-grams reveals that Twitter users employ hashtags such as #ilooklikeasurgeon and #womeninSTEM to promote the work of women in STEM fields, show their appreciation of women working and studying in STEM and challenge prevalent gender stereotypes of STEM professions. It was found that the production of women in STEM discourse by most Twitter users has contributed to increasing the strength of women in the STEM community in social media, evidenced by their practices of advocacy, networking and challenging gender biases online. The discourse of women in STEM in social media is an example of discursive activism that focuses on the larger dialogue of women in STEM and highlights dominant forms of sexism and gendered stereotypes of women’s work in male dominated professions.

Timely Public Health Intervention and Vectorborne Response Planning

Timely Public Health Intervention and Vectorborne Response Planning

Population fluctuation of fruit flies in cucurbit ecosystem

The population fluctuation of the fruit flies, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and Bactrocera tau (Walker) was recorded in the cucurbit ecosystem at weekly internal from 30th standard meteorological week (SMW) to 29th SMW of next year by installing the fruit fly traps charged with a Cue lure in cucurbits field. The population of adult flies of B. cucurbitae was noticed throughout the period in traps, however, the peak activity was recorded from third week of September to the last week of October with a distinct peak in the last week of September, coinciding with the fruiting season of cucurbits. The activity of B. tau was noticed from 30th to 36th SMW. The maximum catch of flies was 196.33 flies/trap in 38 SMW, and no incidence of the flies was noticed from 1 SMW to 18 SMW. The correlation of B. cucurbitae population with weather parameters indicated that the fly catch in the cue lure baited trap had a significantly positive correlation with average temperature and negative correlation with bright sunshine hours. B. tau had significant positive correlation with maximum relative humidity and negative correlation with bright sunshine hour.

First report on incidence of inflorescence blight and pod rot (Choanephora infundibulifera) on dolichos bean (Dolichos lablab, L.) and yard long beanin (Vignaunguiculata sub sp. sesquipedalis) India

Inflorescence blight and pod rot caused by Choanephorasp. were recorded in two major vegetable crops viz.dolichos bean and yard long bean at a very high degree of severity. Usually, the disease occurs in mild proportions without causing economic loss during rainy season in Kerala (June to September) affecting vegetable crops like cowpea and bhendi. However, during the year 2016, the disease was noticed with a very high severity of more than 90 per cent on two crops grown at two different locations in Thrissur district of Kerala during October to January. None of the commonly used fungicides could control the disease. The pathogen was found to be luxuriantly growing on the inflorescences of dolichos bean and on the fruits of yard long bean. The first incidence of the disease was recorded during the last week of October, 2016. The disease spread was almost cent per cent on susceptible genotypes of dolichos bean and more than 90 per cent in variety ‘Vaijayanthi’ of yard long bean. A study was conducted exploring the pre disposing factors leading to the occurrence of the disease in epidemic proportions.Meteorological factors affecting the disease were studied and it was found that there is positive correlation of the disease severity with increasing atmospheric temperature and rainfall.Atmospheric temperature more than 30oC along with high humidity and rain fall during the preceding week are found to be the major pre disposing factors lead to the epidemic in both the crops. The pathogen was isolated and based on morphological characters, identified as Choanephora sp. Pathogenicity was proved by inoculation on healthy inflorescence stalks.Molecular characterization of the pathogen confirmed the identity as Choanephora infundibulifera. This is the first report of the pathogen on dolichos bean and yard long bean in India.