Search

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) has significantly affected maize crop yields, production efficiency, and farmers' incomes in the Indian Eastern Gangetic Plains region since it was first observed in India in 2018. A lack of awareness by maize growers of the appropriate selection, method, and timing of insecticide application not only creates a barrier to sustainable FAW control but also contributes to increased environmental pollution, reduced human health and increased production costs. We demonstrated that FAW inflicted the most damage in early whorl growth stage of maize, regardless of whether chemical insecticides were applied. FAW egg masses and larvae collected from maize fields in which no insecticides had been sprayed showed high parasitism rates by parasitoid wasps; in contrast fields that had been sprayed had much lower rates of parasitism on FAW. Ten hymenopteran parasitoids were observed in maize fields across the study region, suggesting a diversity of natural methods to suppress FAW in maize at different growth stages. These included two FAW egg parasitoids and eight FAW larval parasitoids. Microplitis manilae Ashmead was the most abundant FAW larval parasitoid species, and Telenomus cf. remus was the dominant FAW egg parasitoid species. Endemic FAW parasitoids such as those observed in this study have great potential as part of a sustainable, cost-effective agroecological management strategy, which can be integrated with other methods to achieve effective control of FAW., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger remains a major global challenge for human health and wellness. The problem results from soil micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies combined with imbalanced fertilizer use. Micronutrient-embedded NPK (MNENPK) complex fertilizers have been developed to overcome the macro- and micro-element deficiencies to enhance the yield and nutritive value of key crop products. We investigated the effect of foliar applications of an MNENPK fertilizer containing N, P, K, Fe, Zn and B in combination with traditional basal NPK fertilizers in terms of eggplant yield, fruit nutritive quality and on soil biological properties. Applying a multi-element foliar fertilizer improved the nutritional quality of eggplant fruit, with a significant increases in the concentration of Fe (+ 26%), Zn (+ 34%), K (+ 6%), Cu (+ 24%), and Mn (+ 27%), all of which are essential for human health. Increasing supply of essential micronutrients during the plant reproductive stages increased fruit yield, as a result of improved yield parameters. The positive effect of foliar fertilizing with MNENPK on soil biological parameters (soil microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase) also demonstrated its capacity to enhance soil fertility. This study suggests that foliar fertilizing with a multi-nutrient product such as MNENPK at eggplant flowering and fruiting stages, combined with the recommended-doses of NPK fertilizers is the optimal strategy to improve the nutritional quality of eggplant fruits and increase crop yields, both of which will contribute to reduce micronutrient malnutrition and hunger globally., (© 2022. The Author(s).)