Spice Crop Research Articles

Combination of observational and functional trait-based approaches in developing a polyculture design tool

ABSTRACT Models of species composition in diversified cropping systems utilize mostly functional trait-based or observation-based approaches. We argue that a combination of these two approaches makes polyculture design tools more robust. We assessed quantity, quality, and complementarity of information from multiple sources for designing diversified cropping systems with vegetables and spice crops for cold temperate climate. Trait and observational data were integrated from: (i) two grower-oriented and one academic crop database, (ii) a survey of farmers practicing community-supported agriculture, and (iii) a systematic literature review on the use of spice crops in vegetable farming. Survey results reveal that the farmers were capable of achieving medium to good levels of their main goals, but failed to reach desired multifunctionality with their polycultures, which can be potentially improved with computational tools. None of the analyzed data sources provided a comprehensive dataset for all target crops and functional traits. However, source combination allowed for design from known crop companions (farmers survey and grower-oriented databases), to addressing specific pest problems (literature review), and increasing functional complementarity and facilitation by trait matching (academic and grower-oriented trait databases). Integrating information from different sources increased the number of crop combination options but also planning and management complexity.

A review on detailed understanding and recent advances on Colletotrichum capsici causing anthracnose of chilli.

Chilli is one of the most significant spice crops cultivated with numerous culinary, medicinal, and industrial applications. Colletotrichum have a wide host range causing anthracnose disease in various crops whereas in chili anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum capsici is the major constraint in chili production. Under severe environmental conditions, the symptoms appear all over the plant including fruit which lead to complete crop damage. The particular disease has a huge economic impact on yield reduction and also debars the export criteria due to the less quality of chili crop. Management of the disease is difficult under field conditions and majority of the management strategies are highly dependent on the use of chemicals. Solely rely on chemicals is harmful to environmental and human health so integrated disease management approach can help to manage the disease at the initial stage. Detection and identification of pathogen play a major role in pathogen management. Early identification and detection of the pathogen based on conventional and molecular methods are very important to reduce yield loss under field conditions. The current review consists of a detailed understanding of the pathogen, identification, detection and diagnosis, and the most recent research updates.

First Report of Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris (16SrI-B subgroup) associated with phyllody disease of fenugreek in the world.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a leafy vegetable and spice crop, native to Indian subcontinent and Eastern Mediterranean region. Phytoplasma infection symptoms were observed in fenugreek at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources Regional Station, Jodhpur and Agricultural Research Station Mandore Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The first appearance of phytoplasma suspected symptoms of little leaf was recorded after 50 days of sowing in the months of January 2022. The major symptoms recorded were virescence, phyllody, shoot proliferation, witches-broom, little leaf, yellowing and overall stunted growth in 146 germplasm accessions at NBPGR research farm, Jodhpur and one major commercially cultivated variety RMT 305 at Mandore Jodhpur. Ten samples from symptomatic and five samples from asymptomatic fenugreek plants were collected and processed for total DNA extraction using the Qiagen DNeasy plant mini kit (Germany). The extracted DNA was amplified using nested PCR assays with universal phytoplasma detection primers for 16S rRNA gene (P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2) and secA gene specific primers (SecAfor1/SecArev3 and SecAfor2/SecArev3) (Schneider et al. 1995; Gundersen and Lee 1996; Hodgetts et al. 2008). The amplicons of ∼1.25 kb with 16S rRNA and ∼480 bp with secA gene specific primers were amplified in all symptomatic fenugreek samples. In negative control (asymptomatic plants) no amplification was observed with either of gene specific primers in gel electrophoresis. PCR amplified products from the six selected positive samples (FPP-NBPGR-J-01 to FPP-NBPGR-J-04 and FPP-MND-01 to FPP-MND-02) of 16S rRNA and secA gene, were sequenced from both ends. Sequences were deposited in the NCBI GenBank with accession numbers ON756108-ON756113 for 16S rRNA gene sequences and ON745809 to ON745814 for secA gene sequences. BLAST analysis of 16S rRNA and secA sequences revealed 100% sequence identity among themselves and 99.95 to 100% sequence identity with the earlier reported phytoplasma strains of aster yellows group related phytoplasma strains (GenBank Acc. No. MN239504, MN080270) belonging to Ca. P. asteris (16SrI group). Further analyses of the 16S rRNA and secA gene-based phylogenetic tree and the iPhyClassifier-based virtual RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA gene study demonstrated that the phytoplasma associated with fenugreek phyllody belonged to 16Sr group I ('Ca. P. asteris') and subgroup B (GenBank accession AP006628), with similarity coefficient of 1.0. Earlier association of 16Sr-II-D subgroup (Ca. P. australasiae) with fenugreek as host was reported from Pakistan (Malik et al., 2020). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a 'Ca. P. asteris', 16SrI-B subgroup related phytoplasma strain associated with fenugreek phyllody in the world. The 16SrI-B phytoplasma strain is a widely distributed strain associated with several agricultural and horticultural crops of India (Rao 2021). This is not only the first instance of fenugreek phyllody disease found in India, but also the first instance of fenugreek phyllody caused by 16SrI-B subgroup phytoplasma worldwide. This report has epidemiological significance and needs immediate attention, as fenugreek is one of the most common seed spice crop being grown all over India.

RUMPOS: Pembenah Tanah Alternatif Produk Teknik Konversi Sampah Organik Untuk Meningkatkan Performa Tanaman Budidaya

Various organic wastes from the agricultural industry are abundantly available, easily and cheaply to process into soil conditioner that can be applied to improve SOM content. RUMPOS is an organic soil conditioner produced from organic wastes by conversion techniques to improve the performance of cultivated plants. The aim of the activity is to introduce RUMPOS as an alternative soil conditioner in crop cultivation. Application of RUMPOS soil conditioner in the right way and dosage may give benefits in plant cultivation. This activity is expected to inspire the community on the utilization of organic wastes. One of the options is the conversion into soil conditioner, leading to the establishment of ameliorant manufacturing industry to supply the need for soil quality management East Kalimantan. Organic-based ameliorant application is an effective way to prevent the deterioration of soil quality and excessive use of inorganic fertilizers. This activity was carried out in collaboration with the Kelompok Wanita Tani Mekarsari, Mugirejo Village, Sungai Pinang, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The method used is counseling consisting of presentation of material followed by planting practices and discussions. The result of this activity is in the form of additional knowledge on RUMPOS soil conditioner and its use in the cultivation of vegetables and spice crops. Most of the participants also felt inspired to carry out organic waste treatment activities independently into soil improvement in crop cultivation on their farmland

Isolation and Characterization of the Incitant of Leaf Spot of Turmeric and in-vitro Efficacy of Native Isolate of Endophytic Bacteria

Turmeric, Curcuma longa L. is an important commercial spice crop cultivated in Meghalaya covering 2,649 ha area with 16,497 MT productions. However, the turmeric cultivation is severely affected by leaf spot disease limiting its yield. So, the present study was conducted to identify the pathogen associated with leaf spot disease of turmeric as well as to check the efficiency of bacterial endophytes in managing the disease. Based on the morphological and cultural studies, six isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were identified as the causal organism of leaf spot disease of turmeric. The isolates on PDA medium produced white to grey fluffy (raised/ flat) cottony culture with serrated margin. All the isolates produced dark brown acervuli and globular conidia with oil globules inside. Five bacterial endophytes viz., BE 1, BE 222, M1W1, NGB21 and SVC 11 were tested against C. gloeosporioides by using dual culture assay. They were able to inhibit the mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides in the range of 35.82-68.11%. The highest percent inhibition in dual culture assay was recorded in the isolate NGB 21 (68.11%) followed by isolate BE1 (59.89%).

Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain): A Sacred plant with High Medicinal and Therapeutic potential

Medicinal plants have many secondary metabolites, making them a good source of medication or therapeutic agents. Medicinal plants or their parts can be the only source of treatment or effective management for various life-threatening infections. Phytomedicines are safer than chemical-based therapeutic agents due to their lower risk of side effects. Medicinal plant-based therapeutics therapy is rapid, sensitive, specific, economical, and readily available for all; therefore, ethnomedicine is gaining more interest worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 4000 million people regularly utilize medicinal plants to treat various illnesses. Allopathic drugs are accessible throughout the World. Medicinal herbs are still widely used, attributable to public trust in their therapeutic usefulness in many regions of the World. Almost 2000 ethnic groups have their traditional medical systems across the World. Ayurveda is one of India's most well-known ancient medical systems that has persevered and flourished over the centuries. Herbal products have been successfully employed in health treatment since ancient times. Trachyspermum ammi L. (Ajwain) is one of the famous medicinal plants belonging to the family Apiaceae. Trachyspermum ammi is a native plant to Egypt. Trachyspermum ammi is a popular seed spice crop in India. Trachyspermum ammi contains various bioactive components that have long been recognized for their medicinal and antimicrobial products. The present review describes the botanical, phytochemical, ethnomedicinal, and pharmacological information related to Trachyspermum ammi.

High-precision multiclass classification of chili leaf disease through customized EffecientNetB4 from chili leaf images

Chili is a vital crop in India, where it is widely grown for usage in food, medicine, and cosmetics. India is the world's largest producer and exporter of chilies, a key spice crop. For the leaf disease classification, Conventional Neural Networks (CNN) are used. EfficientNetB4 is a neural network architecture that has been demonstrated to achieve high accuracy on image classification tasks while using a small number of parameters. This model is calibrated for the function of detecting leaf disease. This research demonstrates the efficacy of using deep learning architectures for the detection of leaf diseases and highlights EfficientNetB4′s potential as a powerful tool for this task. We fine-tuned the EfficientNetB4 as EfficientLeafNetB4 and proved the most efficient in the detection of chili leaf disease detection compared to ResNet-50, DenseNet-121, MobileNet-V2, and VGG-16. Our proposed fine-tuned model produced better results as compared to the above-listed techniques.The proposed approach is simple to integrate into existing agricultural systems and can assist farmers in making timely and accurate crop health decisions. Furthermore, our work provides a roadmap for future research in this field, including the investigation of novel data augmentation techniques and regularization strategies and the exploration of other deep learning architectures.Sample abstract: The agriculture sector is essential to a country's Gross domestic product (GDP). Plants are essential because they provide people with sustenance. Most farmers in poor nations do manual farming. Plant diseases that are not identified in time can cause financial losses for farmers, damaging state and national economies on a huge scale. The present study investigates High-precision Multiclass Classification of Chili leaf Disease through Customized E ffecientNetB4 from Chili Leaf Images. This research represents the popular Indian crop leaf diseases like Up curl, Down curl, Gemini virus, Cercosporin leaf spot, healthy leaf, and their identification accuracies. We fine-tuned the EfficientNetB4 as EfficientLeafNetB4 and proved the most efficiency in the detection of the chili leaf disease detection compared to ResNet-50, DenseNet-121, MobileNet-V2 and VGG-16. Our proposed fine-tuned model produced better results as compared to the above listed techniques.

Effect of NPK and Bio-fertilizers on Growth and Yield of Chandrasur (Lapidium sativum L.)

The present field experiment was conducted at Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, College of Horticulture, RVSKVV, Mandsaur (MP) during the year 2020-2021 using Randomized Block Design in three replications. The experiment was carried out with various bio-fertilizers (PSB and Azotobacter @ each 5 kg/ha) and different doses of chemical fertilizers (NPK) along with one control. Result revealed that treatment T11 -NPK (40:50:40 kg/ha) + FYM (20 t/ha) + PSB+ Azotobacter (each 5 kg/ha) was recorded highest values of plant height (20.97, 101.20 and 114.40 cm plant-1), number of branches at harvest (26.29 plant-1), fresh weight (8.34, 95.57 and 84.17 g plant-1) and dry weight (1.19, 19.11 and 40.40 g plant-1) at 40, 80 and 120 days after sowing respectively. However, days to 50% emergence (6.28), days to 50% flowering (61.32) and days to maturity (114.38) were took lowest days with the same treatment. The maximum seed yield (22.06 q ha-1), biological yield (83.59 q ha-1), test weight (1.89 g) and highest harvest index (26.40) in the same treatment as compared to control. Under the economics of the treatment, the highest net return (Rs 70300) and benefit: Cost ratio (1.75) also found with same treatment.

Effect of botanical insecticide application on the population of brown planthopper and its natural enemies and the growth and production of rice plants

Brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stall) is one of the most dangerous rice pests in Southeast Asia, therefor the population in the plantation must be controlled. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the botanical insecticide formulations in controlling brown planthopper attacks, the presence of natural enemies and their impact on the growth and production of rice plants. The study was conducted in the laboratory and the field. Screen house research was conducted in Indonesian Spices and Medicinal Crops Research Institute by testing the botanical insecticide formulation at five concentrations, namely; 0, 0.5, 2.5, 4.5, and 6.5 cc/l, and repeated five times. The results showed that at a concentration of 4.5cc/l, the insecticide was able to cause 97% mortality of the insects. This concentration was then used for spray application in the screen house which showed a more significant number of productive tillers, grain per bunch, and weight of 1000 grains than the control treatment, and about 25% higher in plant production. The Results of the field study conducted in Indramayu District showed that the botanical insecticide was able to suppress the population of N. lugens, but it was safe for natural enemies. The production of plants sprayed with botanical insecticides was 16.39% higher than the control treatment. This indicated that the botanical insecticide tested can be able to suppress the population of N. lugens, but was also safe against natural enemies and increase rice production.

Evaluation of some promising indigenous brinjal genotypes under terai region of West Bengal

Present experiment was implemented under the Department of Vegetable and Spice Crops, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Coochbehar which situated at terai region of West Bengal during the autumn-winter season of 2019-20 and 2020-21 on 28 highly diversified brinjal genotypes on ten highly important yield and yield attributing traits to assess the extent of involvement of different genetic phenomena in manifestation of important yield related traits and to understand the inter relationship among them to design better selection criteria. Result revealed that there was close proximity in the magnitude among the component of coefficient of variation and these component exhibited high estimates coupled with high heritability for almost all the characters excepting days to first flowers and days to fruit maturity indicated less interference of the environmental factors in the manifestation of these traits. High magnitude of heritability coupled with genetic advance of mean for those character suggested possibility for selecting these characters based on phenotypic performance for further improvement at desired direction. Residual effect from path analysis was 0.1367 at genotypic level which suggested that contribution of the traits under study was approximately 86.5% on yield, argued for appropriate selection of traits for success of present experimental study. From character associationship and path coefficient it was found that expected yield was highly correlated in positive direction with average fruits per plant (0.68 and 0.801), average fruit weight (0.48 and 0.565), numbers of primary branches per plant (0.51 and 0.113); hence, these yield attributing traits were significantly positively related with each other which suggested that simultaneous selective breeding strategy considering these characters for improvement of yield could be rewarding due to their probable conditioning by additive gene action.

Assessment of Cost of Cultivation, Resource Use Efficiency and Constraints in Cumin Production in Jodhpur District of Rajasthan

"Cumin is one of the most popular seed spice crops of India. Present paper looks into the cost of cultivation, efficiency of use of resources and the constraints in cumin production in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. Using CACP cost concepts, the average cost of cultivation (C3) per hectare of cumin was found as ` 46232.21. To estimate resource use efficiency, a log-linear (Cobb-Douglas) form of production function was used. Inputs like human labour, plant protection chemicals, and manure were found underutilized. Poor economic conditions of the farmers were found as a prime constraint. Lack of improved varieties of cumin seed was another major constraint faced by the respondents. The study emphasised on the need for institutional support to address capital constraints of farmers, lack of quality seeds, and lack of regulated markets."

Evaluation of ginger genotypes for commercial cultivation in Mizoram and future prospects

A study was carried out for three years (2019, 2020 & 2021) in the experimental field at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Mizoram Centre, Kolasib, Mizoram to check the performances of seven ginger genotypes viz., Gurubathani, Bold Nadia, Bhaise, John's ginger, PGS 121, PGS 95 and PGS 102 against Local ginger cv Thingria and their economic feasibility for commercialization in Mizoram, India. Out of seven genotypes when compared with Local ginger cv Thingria, five genotypes have out yielded Local cultivar in the range of 21.25 to 45.45% with Bhaise having 45.45% higher rhizome yield than Local ginger. On the other hand, Bold Nadia possesses a combination of good quality traits. The highest B:C ratio was obtained in Bhaise (2.08) followed by PGS 102 (1.99), Gorubathani (1.95) and Bold Nadia (1.87). The highest cost of cultivation was contributed by labour cost which was 53.40% of total cost of cultivation. The four genotypes viz., Bold Nadia, Bhaise, PGS 102 and Gorubathani can be selected as potential genotypes possessing optimum combination of all traits. Based on economic analysis, these genotypes can be considered for commercial purposes under Mizoram condition. Different production systems such as intercropping, pro-tray technology, and bulb extraction method may increase the overall income of farmers. Farmers need to venture the possibilities of value addition in ginger on commercial basis. Government intervention is required for creating marketing infrastructures, initiating youth-centered schemes, occasional skill training and developing farmer-friendly policies to protect them from market risks and exploitation. Ginger has been an important horticultural crop and widely marketed spice crop of Mizoram, a potential enterprise contributing to state economy

Hemolysis and hypersensitive tests ease culture collection management of antagonistic bacteria

A biosafety assessment is a crucial first step in the management of microbial culture collection to screen and determine unexpected potential plant and human pathogenic bacteria. It is common to collect and store as many fresh culture collections from natural resources before being further evaluated for antagonist bacteria. As a result, a bulk of isolates must be preserved which required more effort and budget. Safety evaluations based on the hemolysis and hypersensitive reactions offer simple tests to ease culture collection management of antagonist bacteria. The study aimed to evaluate the safety of bacterial culture collection for their hemolysis and hypersensitive reactions. Ninety-five isolates of rhizosphere and endophytic bacterial isolates from the culture collections of the Department of Plant Protection-IPB University, Indonesian Industrial and Beverages Crops Research Institute, and Indonesian Spice and Medicinal Crops Research Institute, were evaluated their safety using the hemolysis and hypersensitive tests. The hemolysis test was conducted using blood agar media, from which isolates with a negative (?) reaction were then tested for the hypersensitivity reaction on tobacco leaves. Bacterial isolates passed from both hemolysis and hypersensitivity tests were then preserved by the lyophilization method for long-term storage of culture collection. Based on the hemolysis test, 68 out of 95 bacterial isolates (71.57%) were found to be positive (? or ?) reactions. The hypersensitive test showed that 22 of 27 negative hemolysis isolates did not trigger hypersensitivity reactions in tobacco leaves, therefore, they were preserved by lyophilization. The study indicated that a high number of bacterial isolates in the present collection, 68 positive hemolysis, and 5 hypersensitive, need to be re-evaluated due to their safety concerns. The present study highlights the importance of biosafety tests performed in an early stage before the to permanent collection of antagonist isolates.

Effect of Micronutrients and Bioinoculants on Seed Yield and Seed Quality of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) under Kymore Plateau Zone

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most extensively cultivated and economically important spice crops worldwide. Chilli is an economically important crop cultivated worldwide for its valuable fruits. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of micronutrients and bioinoculants on seed yield and quality of chilli. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD-Factorial) with three replications and twenty treatments, including four micronutrients (M1-M5) and three bioinoculants (B0-B3). The interaction effect of micronutrients and bioinoculants was found to be significant in enhancing the chilli seed yield and quality. The treatment combination M5B3 (ZnSO4 (0.2%) + Trichoderma viride (TV) + Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) + Azotobacter chroococcum (AC) (2.5 kg/ha +2.5 kg/ha+ 5.0 kg/ha)) showed the highest improvement. Therefore, it can be inferred that a combination of micronutrients and bioinoculants is recommended for increasing the seed yield and quality of chilli.

The non-specific lipid transfer protein McLTPII.9 of Mentha canadensis is involved in peltate glandular trichome density and volatile compound metabolism.

Mentha canadensis L. is an important spice crop and medicinal herb with high economic value. The plant is covered with peltate glandular trichomes, which are responsible for the biosynthesis and secretion of volatile oils. Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) belong to a complex multigenic family involved in various plant physiological processes. Here, we cloned and identified a non-specific lipid transfer protein gene (McLTPII.9) from M. canadensis, which may positively regulate peltate glandular trichome density and monoterpene metabolism. McLTPII.9 was expressed in most M. canadensis tissues. The GUS signal driven by the McLTPII.9 promoter in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum was observed in stems, leaves, and roots; it was also expressed in trichomes. McLTPII.9 was associated with the plasma membrane. Overexpression of McLTPII.9 in peppermint (Mentha piperita. L) significantly increased the peltate glandular trichome density and total volatile compound content compared with wild-type peppermint; it also altered the volatile oil composition. In McLTPII.9-overexpressing (OE) peppermint, the expression levels of several monoterpenoid synthase genes and glandular trichome development-related transcription factors-such as limonene synthase (LS), limonene-3-hydroxylase (L3OH), geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS), HD-ZIP3, and MIXTA-exhibited varying degrees of alteration. McLTPII.9 overexpression resulted in both a change in expression of genes for terpenoid biosynthetic pathways which corresponded with an altered terpenoid profile in OE plants. In addition, peltate glandular trichome density was altered in the OE plants as well as the expression of genes for transcription factors that were shown to be involved in trichome development in plants.

Tackling the Constraints of Cumin Cultivation and Management Practices

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is an important seed spice crop, having good medicinal properties and grown predominately in arid and semi-arid region of the world. India is the leading country with share of 70% in the world production of cumin. Two states of India (Rajasthan and Gujarat) cover nearly 80% of the total area under cumin cultivation. The current scenario and status of area, production and productivity in India has been reviewed to identify the various factors affecting cumin production and productivity. Apart from these major constraints related to climate, soil, agronomical, crop input, extension, marketing and farm mechanization in cumin production and their management are discussed thoroughly. Due to low productivity of cumin there is need to focus on integrated approaches such as utilizing modern technologies, advance agronomic practises, farm mechanization interventions and advanced breeding tools to enhance the cumin production. The study reveals alternative solutions to overcome these problems and evidenced that there is huge scope of farm mechanization to improve the production of cumin crop and reduce drudgery of farmers.

Quality Evaluation of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) Germplasms under New Alluvial Zone of West Bengal, India

The study was conducted at the Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal, India during March-May, of 2020 and 2021. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality content of 18 ginger germplasm and to identify the most suitable promising genotypes under New alluvial zone of West Bengal. The result of the study shows that maximum essential oil content was obtained from the genotype Surabhi (1.65%) followed by Gorubathan (1.60%), Hui local (1.57%) and the lowest in Takeng local (0.88%). Highest oleoresin content was observed in the genotype Surabhi (7.88%) followed by Hui local (6.42%), Thinglaidum (6.34%) and the lowest was observed in Meghalaya local (3.51%). Maximum dry recovery was recorded in the genotype Gorubathan (23.00%) followed by Surabhi (22.20%), Hui local (22.02%) and the minimum in Moran ada (16.62%). Maximum crude fibre content was recorded in the genotype Takeng local (7.58%) followed by Jorhat local (7.40%) and lowest was with Surabhi (4.49%). Further, the maximum moisture and ash content were observed in Thinglaidum (14.21%) and Moran ada (7.25%) respectively. Thus, the genotypes viz., Surabhi, Gorubathan, Hui local, Thingria, Thinglaidum and Nadia gave an overall appreciable amount of quality content and were considered to be most suitable promising genotypes for their quality content in New Alluvial Zone of West Bengal.

An environmentally benign oil dispersion/phytoextract system for improved retention upon foliage and control of aphids in spice crops

About one-third of agricultural production relies upon chemical pesticides. The major part of applied pesticides is lost due to poor retention characteristics, whereas the retention is related to pesticide utilization efficiency. The drift pesticides create substantial environmental contamination and are a primary concern because of their high persistence and toxicity to humans and non-targets. Coupling bio-pesticide and suitable delivery systems to optimize targeting and uptake will enable the design of suitable agrochemicals that combine optimal safety, sustainability, and functionality profiles. We present a strategy to address the issue by taking advantage of oil dispersion (OD) as a delivery system for loading leaf phyto-extract of an indigenous plant (Dalbergia sissoo). The chemical profiling of phyto-extract performed by GC-MS revealed the presence of hydrocarbons, fatty acid methyl esters, and their derivatives, including majorly Glycidyl oleate, Cinnamyl linoleate, whereas LC-MS analysis briefed the presence of compounds; Ferulic acid and a chalcone flavonoid- Isoliquiritigenin. The OD was developed via a two-step process; dispersion followed by wet grinding, which displayed shear-thinning rheological behavior. Upon spraying on leaves, the OD carrier could achieve enhanced wetting and spreading on the foliage. Driven by the additive-based interactions, OD improved pesticide retention and wash resistance, which was evident by the fluorescent labelling of the formulation. The leaf extract-loaded OD possesses a 9-day residual effect and excellent efficacy in controlling Aphids, comparable to synthetic insecticide. Overall, OD-loaded phyto-extract provides an effective strategy for prolonging pesticide retention and reducing pesticide loss in agro-production, both of which are desirable for a cleaner and pollution-free environment.

Effects of blended (NPSB) and urea fertilizer on growth and green pod yield of hot pepper (Capsicum annum L.) under irrigation in Raya-Kobo district, North Wollo, Ethiopia

Hot pepper is one of the most important vegetables and spice crops cultivated in many parts of the world including Ethiopia. The crop is known for its nutritional value and as spice. It’s productivity is low due to low availability of soil nutrients. Much research was conducted to investigate the response of pepper to inorganic fertilizers such as DAP and Urea. However, information about the effect of Blended fertilizers such as NPSB and its combination with Urea is scanty. This research was therefore conducted to investigate the response of hot pepper to blended NPSB and urea fertilizer rates at Kobo, North Wollo. Four rates of NPSB (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg ha−1) and four rates of urea (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha−1) in factorial combination were laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The results revealed that the interaction effect of NPSB and urea was significant on many of the parameters considered. Treatments that received fertilizer combination of 300 kg NPSB ha−1 and 150 kg urea ha−1 gave the tallest plants (79.76 cm) and maximum number of pods per plant (45.50), while Treatments that received fertilizer combination of 200 kg NPSB ha−1 and 150 kg urea ha−1 gave the highest total pod fruit yield (30.08t ha−1) and maximum marketable yield (29.48 t ha−1) in the study area. Application of combined 200 kg ha−1 NPSB and 150 urea kg ha−1is recommended for production of hot pepper at Kobo and similar agroecologies as the highest net benefit (3548.86 US$) with relatively high marginal rate of return (2258.91%) were recorded. However, as the present study was done only in one location for one season, it would be worthwhile to repeat it in order to arrive at a sound conclusion.

Effectiveness of Eucalyptus Nano Formulation against Phytophthora capsici the Causal of Foot Rot Disease on Black Pepper

Nanoemulsion is a form of nano pesticide that has been widely developed as a pesticide. Several reports state that the main compound contained in Eucalyptus essential oil, namely 1,8 cineol (C10H18O) or Eucalyptol can inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two types of Eucalyptus oil formulations with nano scale on the growth of the fungus Phytophthora capsici in vitro. This study was conducted in the plant pathology laboratory, at Indonesian Spices and Medicinal Crops Research Institute (ISMCRI), from January 2021 to June 2022. Chemical analysis of eucalyptus oil formulations with nano scale using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy methods. The antifungal assay was carried out by adding a formulation with a specific concentration on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium and measuring its effect on the growth of P. capsici. The result showed that the particle size of the two eucalyptus oil formulations with nano scale range between 139.87-150.4 nm. The main chemical components of Nano E. urophylla West Java (NE-JB) are alpha-Pinene (13.92%), Eucalyptol (29.17%), p-Cymene (6.03%), and glycerin (20.45%). In contrast, Nano E. grandis North Sumatra (NE-SU) consisted of (1R)-2,6,6-Trimethylbicyclo [3.1.1]hept-2-ene (17.80%), Eucalyptol (10.90%), p-Cymene (6.50%), L-alpha Terpineol (6.69%), and glycerin (39.67%). The NE-SU formulation showed the ability to inhibit the growth of P. capsici better than NE-JB. The percentage inhibition of NE-SU at the 1.5% concentration was 91.47% while NE-JB was only 33.5%.