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Among the Kharif legumes clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L. Taub) is important crop and popularly known as “Guar” in India. A field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2013 at Agronomy Farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur (Rajasthan) to evaluate the weed management in clusterbean under the application of different agrochemicals and phosphorus levels. The treatments comprising 6 weed control treatments (Weedy check, one hand weeding at 20 DAS, two hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS, pendimethalin at 0.75 kg/ha, imazethapyr at 100 g/ha and fenoxoprop-p-ethyl at 70 g/ha and four levels of phosphorus (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg/ha) assigned to main and sub plots of spilt plot design, respectively and replicated thrice. Results showed that HW twice at 20 and 40 DAS and pre emergence application of imazethapyr at 100 g/ha resulted significant reduction in weed density and weed dry matter in comparison to most of the treatments. Results further indicated that application of 60 kg P2O5/ha in clusterbean recorded the highest density and dry weight of weeds at all the stages. Maximum weed control efficiency was recorded under two hand weeding at 20 & 40 DAS.

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2013 at Agronomy farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur (Rajasthan) to evaluate the impact of weed management practices and phosphorus levels on nutrient uptake and quality of clusterbean crop. The treatments comprising 6 weed control treatments (Weedy check, one HW at 20 DAS, two HW at 20 and 40 DAS, pendimethalin at 0.75 kg/ha, imazethapyr at 100 g/ha and fenoxoprop-p-ethyl at 70 g/ha and four levels of phosphorus (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg/ha) assigned to main and sub plots of spilt plot design, respectively and replicated thrice. Hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS, imazethapyr at 100 g/ha, and one HW at 20 DAS were found statistically similar and significantly better treatments in enhancing nutrient concentration in grain and stover, protein content in grain, and reduction in nutrient depletion by weeds but in enhancing of nutrient uptake by crop, two hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS was found significantly better treatment over rest of the treatments. Application of 60 kg P/ha in clusterbean recorded the highest N, P, and K concentration in weeds and nutrient depletion by weeds at the harvest stage. Every increase in the level of P to 40 kg/ha resulted significant improvement in N, P and K uptake by grain and stover, protein content and phosphorus use efficiency.

The existence of polymorphs in the seven spotted ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) when analysed revealed five morphs collected in different seasons. These were predating on sucking pests infesting cotton and wheat. The morphological characters including male genitalia were studied in these. The abundance of various morphs revealed morph 1 with maximum abundance (73.3%), and the frequency of the melanic forms increased with the decrease in temperature.

The influence of different dates of sowing and various weather variables was studied on some major insect pests attacking the economically important castor crop. The susceptible castor hybrid DCH 177 was cultivated on six different dates of sowing at fortnightly interval during May–August, 2018. Crop sown during late May and first fortnight of June (i.e., the “very early sowing” and the “the early sowing”) were found to be least infested by Empoasca flavescens but severely infested with S. litura larvae and the capsule damage by Conogethes punctiferalis was also very high in these two sowing dates as compared to crop sown at other dates. Maximum incidence of E. flavescens and Achaea janata was noticed in late sowings. Correlation analysis revealed that the evening relative humidity influenced the leafhopper nymphal population significantly whereas, the capsule damage by C. punctiferalis was significantly influenced by the minimum temperature and wind velocity. The influence of weather parameters on larval population of A. janata and Spodoptera litura was found statistically non-significant. The study highlights the significance of sowing date in the insect pest management scenario by defining the ultimate degree of infestation levels of insect pests.

Cucumber moth, Diaphania indica (Saunders) is a polyphagous insect, becoming one of the major constraints in cost-effective cultivation of bitter gourd. As the detailed knowledge of the biology of insect-pest is essential for the application of control methods, the biometrics of cucumber moth, D. indica was studied on bitter gourd in laboratory conditions during 2019 at Insect Culture Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana. Gravid females laid 93.6 ± 44.14 eggs having the morphometrics of 0.7 ± 0.02 and 0.42 ± 0.02 mm in terms of length and breadth, respectively. The mean larval duration of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th instar was observed to be 1.49, 2.41, 3.59, 2.54 and 3.3 days, respectively with the total mean larval period of 13.33 days, while length and breadth varied from 1.75 to 21.65 and 0.26 to 2.94 mm for 1st to 5th instar. The pupal period of D. indica lasted for 7.93 ± 1.06 days which further accounted for the average total life cycle of 26.91 ± 1.01 days. The pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods were recorded as 1.5 ± 0.53, 3.9 ± 0.74 and 1.9 ± 0.74 days, respectively with sex ratio of 1:1.1 (male: female). The longevity of male and female moths was 6.1 ± 0.71 and 7.69 ± 1.22 days, respectively.

Aim: To evaluate the optimum dose and potassium application on K uptake by green gram and its buildup/depletion in soil to overcome the production of pulses in South West part of Haryana. Methodology: A series of field experiments and on farm trials were conducted during 2012 to 2016 at the Regional Research Station, CCS HAU, Bawal and at the farmers field to study the response of green gram to potassium fertilization in coarse textured medium K status soils of southern Haryana, India. Five levels of potassium (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 kg K2O ha-1) were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications. Results: The results of study revealed that green gram seed yield increased significantly with application of potassium at 20 kg K2O ha-1. Potassium fertilization also significantly increased total K uptake by green gram at each level of potassium application and helped in preventing the depletion of available soil K and enhanced its content in the soil. The mean K use efficiency varied from 38.30 to 54.15 per cent, being maximum with application of 20 kg K2O ha-1 (54.15 %). The mean economic data analysis revealed that benefit cost ratio also increased with potassium fertilization. Interpretation: On farm trials conducted on farmers field revealed that application of 20 kg K2O ha-1 in coarse textured low to medium potash status soils is optimum for higher yield, returns and maintenance of available K status in soil.

The ber fruit fly, Carpomyia vesuviana Costa (Tephritidae: Diptera) is a well established notorious monophagous major pest of ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk) in all the ber growing arid and semi-arid regions and may cause severe yield losses. Plants frequently display genetic variation within and between populations for traits that influence the host selection preference of herbivores. While analyzing the effect of various physico-chemical traits on the C. vesuviana infestation, significant differences in fruit fly incidence were observed in 39 cultivars of ber under field conditions. Fruit fly infestation had significant positive correlation with fruit size, average fruit weight, pulp: stone ratio, total soluble solids and Vitamin C, and was negatively correlated with fruit firmness, acidity content and total phenolic content. The maximum variation in fruit infestation was explained by total phenols (57.0%) followed by pulp: stone ratio (10.4%) and TSS (2.3%). Based on the varimax rotation method with Kaiser Normalization, two principal components (PCs) were extracted explaining the cumulative variance of 54.00% in fruit fly infestation. PC1 explained 29.91% while PC2 explained 24.09% of the total variance. Thus, the importance of genetic diversity is apparent and can be utilized to enhance the income of the farmers by reducing cost of cultivation by developing resistant cultivars which are major component of integrated pest management strategies.

The estimation of crop losses is essential for the scheduling of integrated management tactics as it helps to determine priorities on the basis of relative importance of pests. Cucurbits, the most economically nutritious crops, suffer a quiet high damage by fruit flies. Therefore, the current investigation was carried out to estimate the avoidable yield losses due to melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae in the bitter gourd variety ‘Pusa Do Mausami’. The study was conducted at Experimental Area, Department of Entomology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during Kharif 2019. The results revealed significant differences in the yields of treated (Malathion 50% EC@ 2 ml + jaggery @ 3 g/litre water) and untreated plots. The average yield of bitter gourd in the untreated plots was 1.57 fold less (53.72 q/ha) compared with 84.24 q/ha for the treated plots. The calculated avoidable yield loss due to B. cucurbitae was 36.24 per cent in bitter gourd.

[EN] In this work we focus on location and approximation of a solution of nonlinear integral equations of Hammerstein-type when the kernel is non-separable through a high order iterative process. For this purpose, we approximate the non-separable kernel by means of a separable kernel and then, we perform a complete study about the convergence criteria for the approximated solution obtained to the solution of our first problem. Different examples have been tested in order to apply our theoretical results., This research was partially supported by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad under grant PGC2018-095896-B-C21-C22 and by the project EEQ/2018/000720 under Science and Engineering Research Board.

Seed germination characteristics help predict the degree of invasive success of a species based on capacity of the seeds to germinate and recruit into novel habitats. Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. (Bush mint, Pignut; Lamiaceae) is an invasive plant that is spreading throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. We conducted a study to understand the role of seed size dimorphism in differentiation of germination niche in H. suaveolens. We subjected small and large seeds to varying environmental conditions of temperature (°C), photoperiod (light/dark), salt (NaCl; mM), pH, osmotic potential (MPa), different soil types and ratios (clay:sand) and burial depth (cm). Different germination indices were calculated and their interaction with seed dimorphism studied. There was a significant interaction (P 0.001) between germination indices and seed dimorphism throughout the treatments. Large seeds had higher germination percentage and rate, indicating higher germination capacity. In addition, these displayed more asynchronous germination under various environments. Small seeds, on the other hand, required a longer germination time as compared to large seeds, indicating slower germination. Differential responses of the two seed morphs to varying environmental conditions, therefore, help H. suaveolens to differentiate its germination niche and establish in heterogeneous environments. These findings will help in devising appropriate management and eradication strategies based on germination ecology of seeds.

Efficacy of some seed protectants against pulse beetle Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) in stored mungbean variety MH 421 was evaluated under laboratory conditions in the Department of Entomology, CCSHAU, Hisar during October-December 2018. The result revealed that the neem leaf powder (30g/ kg) and neem oil (10 ml/ kg) were found most effective with maximum adult mortality (100 and 98.33%, respectively), lowest grain damage and weight loss (1.06 and 1.20%) and (0.75 and 0.81%, respectively), followed by mentha oil (2.5 ml/ kg) and lemongrass oil (2.5 ml/ kg). Turmeric powder resulted in only less adult mortality (48.33%) with maximum infestation and weight loss (14.66 and 4.13%, respectively).

Now a days, farmers prefer to use Premix Formulations instead of single pesticide for the control of insects and pests. Large number of premix formulations are available in the market, Solomom OD (...

It has been argued that fertilization may influence the susceptibility of insect pests, and thus, can increase the crop production by lowering the incidence of insect-pest. Here, the present investigation was carried out to study the influence of nitrogen and potash levels on the incidence of early shoot borer, Chilo infuscatellus Snellen in sugarcane varieties at Regional Research Station CCSHAU Uchani farm, Karnal. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with three differently maturing varieties viz., Co 0238, CoH 119 and CoH 150 as main plot, three doses of nitrogen viz., 150, 200 and 250 kg per hectare (kg/ha) as sub plot and two doses of potash viz., 0 and 50 (kg/ha) as sub-sub plot. The early shoot borer mean per cent incidence recorded in April, May and June, 2015 was highest (7.68, 12.19 and 6.35, respectively) in Co 0238 while, lowest (5.16, 8.51 and 5.40, respectively) in CoH 119 followed by CoH 150 (6.29, 8.79 and 5.43, respectively). In relation to nitrogen application, maximum mean per cent incidence (7.12, 11.19 and 6.48, respectively) in April, May and June, 2015 of early shoot borer was recorded at 250 kg N/ha and the minimum (5.68, 8.57 and 5.23, respectively) at 150 kg N/ha. Application of potassium significantly reduced the shoot borer infestation with mean per cent incidence lower at 50 kg K2O/ha (5.90, 9.24 and 5.33, respectively) in April, May and June, 2015 compared to control i.e., no application of potassium (6.85, 10.42 and 6.12, respectively). Results revealed that application of potassium with optimum dose of nitrogenous fertilizer along with selection of suitable variety acted as preventive measures to avoid shoot borer infestation.

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men with an estimated 1.3 million cases diagnosed in 2018 according to the most recent International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report.A large proportion of men still present with advanced disease and in this situation androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay of treatment.Prostate cancer is largely androgen-dependent and responds to endocrine therapy. ADT is an effective treatment modality which decreases the rate of disease progression, alleviates symptoms, and prolongs patients’ survival. ADT can be achieved through surgery (i.e., bilateral orchidectomy) or medical therapy (gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists, antagonists and antiandrogens).Methods: With the approval from institutional ethic committee, a case control study was planned at the urology outpatient department (OPD) at SMS Hospital from April 2019 to March 2020. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 44 patients with newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer and requiring hormone manipulation were enrolled in study. Age matched control (age±2 years) was selected from patients attending urology clinics with conditions other than prostate cancer. Ratio of cases and control was kept 1:1. Written consent was taken from all participants.Results: Total 88 patients were enrolled in study, 44 in each group. The age of patients ranged from 57 to 86 years among the case group and 55–85 among the control group. Mean age of cases was 65.24±6.8 and control was 64.98±7.6 years (p=0.25). Body mass index which is calculated with standard formula (weight in kg/height in meter square) was significantly high among controls (24.20±2.46) in comparison to cases (23.42±2.84). Statistically significant difference was observed among case and control groups for PSA (p=0.0001) and serum calcium (p=0.005) however difference for alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D was found insignificant (p>0.05).Conclusions: Low bone mineral density in patients with advanced prostate cancer before hormonal manipulation is nearly 50%. PSA and serum calcium level were significant different among case and control however this difference was not found for ALP, PTH and vitamin D. Consideration should be given to performing BMD studies in these men before initiating treatment, to avoid or minimize potential bone-related complications in these patients.

The development of India is continuously affected due to some severe issues of the energy crisis and greenhouse gas emission. To overcome or minimize these problems, India should increase the share of sustainable energy sources in an overall generation. Therefore, this work aims to develop a model for the selection of the most sustainable energy sources in India. The model is developed using integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to deal with the number of conflicting and uncertain criteria. The developed model has a unique combination of seven energy alternatives, six criteria, and their related twenty-six sub-criteria. The weights were collected using linguistic terminology to avoid any kind of incomplete or vague information. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) was employed to make a pairwise comparison and to obtain the weights of the considered criteria and sub-criteria. Fuzzy Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (F-WASPAS) used for the ranking of the energy alternatives. Result shows that economic criterion has the highest weight, followed by the environmental and technical criterion. Solar energy obtained as the most sustainable alternative energy source in India. Wind energy was chosen as the second-most sustainable alternative energy source, followed by the hydro and biomass energy. Sensitivity analysis was performed by changing the values of λ coefficient. Results were compared and validated with three other well-known MCDM approaches of VIKOR, TOPSIS, and PROMETHEE - II.

A field experiment was conducted to develop nutrient management strategies for sustaining soil health and sugarcane production in spring planted crop (2014–2015) and its ratoon (2015–2016) at the research farm of Sugarcane Research Institute, Shahjahanpur, UP, India. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications, implying sugarcane variety CoS 08279. The results revealed that out of the nine treatments, addition of 10 t/ha FYM/compost along with inorganic fertilizers on the basis of soil test + biofertilizers (Azotobacter + PSB) @ 12.5 kg/ha each had a positive effect on sugarcane growth and yield in both plant (113.10 t/ha) and ratoon crops (98.84 t/ha) as compared to other treatments. Response of biofertilizers was observed to be more pronounced. No significant results were observed in C.C.S. percent in cane. Maximum benefit–cost ratio (2.66 in plant and 1.96 in ratoon cane) was also obtained under the aforesaid treatments.

A field study on population dynamics of pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker) on maize was carried out during rabi, 2015-2016 at the research farm of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Karnal. Studies on population dynamics revealed that the maximum number of egg masses was observed during 46th SW (standard week), 2015. The larval population increased after 45th SW and reached the maximum during the 49th SW, 2015 and then declined till 7th SW, 2016. Maximum plant infestation by larvae was recorded 19.5 per cent in inbred HKI 1128 and 21.0 per cent in hybrid HQPM 1 during the 7th SW, 2016. No larval activity of S. inferens, plant infestation and dead hearts were observed during 2nd SW to 4th SW of 2016 (second week to last week of January). It could be due to the fact that insect might have entered the hibernation. Correlation of S. inferens population with various environmental factors revealed that larval population had a significant negative correlation with maxi-mum temperature (Tmax.) and minimum temperature (Tmin.), rainfall (RF) (r= -0.4992, -0.5183 and -0.5698) on HKI 1128 and (r= -0.4872, -0.4717 and -0.5242) on HQPM 1, respectively. Multiple regression analysis of S. inferens population with weather parameters showed that there was 80 per cent (HQPM1) and 82 per cent (HKI 1128) variability in larval population due to various environmental factors. The population dynamics revealed by this study have far reaching significance in pest management strategy as integrated control measures may be focused only during the period wherein population exceeds economic threshold level (ETL).

Biology of pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was conducted during 2015-16 in laboratories of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Karnal on HQPM 1 (hybrid) and HKI 1128 (inbred) for two generations at room temperature. Results on biology of S. inferens in the first generation revealed that incubation period varied from 10-14 days on HQPM 1 and 11-15 days on HKI 1128. The larval duration lasted for 21-37 days on HQPM 1 and 24-39 days on HKI 1128. The adult longevity of male and female ranged from 6-7 days and 7-8 days on HQPM 1 and 5-7 days and 6-7 days on HKI 1128, respectively. The total life span ranged from 63-72 days for female and 45-58 days for male on HQPM 1 and 65-74 days for female and 49-62 days for male on HKI 1128, respectively in the first generation. The total life span in second generation ranged 94-107 days for female and 83-96 days for male on HQPM 1 and 98-112 days for female and 86-101 days for male on HKI 1128. The biology of an insect pest is a condition precedent to find out its management strategies. The biology of S. inferens on maize has not yet been studied in north western part of the country. Having regards to the fact that no systematic work on this aspect has been carried out, studies were conducted on biology of this pest for developing efficient pest management strategies.

Madhuca longifolia commonly known as Mahua, is a tropical tree, belongs to family Sapotaceae. It is fast growing economical tree that grows to approximately 20 meters in height. It is cultivated in warm and humid regions for its seeds, flower and wood. Mahua has significant place in local culture. It is highly nutritious tree and can also use as an herbal medicine for treatment of various diseases. The main product of tree is its flower. The major components of flower are Sugars and additionally it contains proteins, vitamins, organic acid and essential oils. Present paper reinvestigate the earlier work performed on Mahua flower and highlight the use of mahua flower in value addition

The experiments were conducted at CCS HAU, Hisar (Haryana) to study the morpho physico-chemical components of resistance to pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera in pigeonpea with different sowing dates. In different four sowing dates, the minimum pod infestation (1.70%) was recorded in (D4) 3rd week of July sown crop, whereas, it was observed maximum (4.54%) in (D2) 1st week of July sown crop. In different pigeonpea varieties, the minimum mean pod infestation (2.45%) was recorded in AL-201, whereas, the maximum mean pod infestation (3.72%) was recorded in Pusa-992. The glandular (type A) and non-glandular (type B) trichomes on pods of top and middle canopy of the plant and pod wall thickness were associated with resistance to H. armigera, whereas, the non-glandular lengthy (type C) trichomes and pod length were associated with susceptibility to this insect. The expression of resistance to H. armigera was also associated with the high amount of fat, phenol and tannin content. Crude protein and total soluble sugar content were responsible for higher pod infestation.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Withania somnifera, commonly known as Ashwagandha, is an important medicinal herb belonging to family Solanaceae. It is widely used in folkloric and Ayurvedic medicines since antiquity. Traditionally, the plant is highly practiced throughout the globe as immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, anti-parkinson, anti-alzheimer, cardio protective, neural and physical health enhancer, neurodefensive, anti-diabetic, aphrodisiac, memory boosting etc. The plant is also effective in combating various types of cancer and other related problems of colon, mammary, lung, prostate, skin, blood, liver and kidney. Aim of this review The present review represents the critical assessment of the literature available on the anticancerous role of W. somnifera. The present study throws light on its diverse chemical compounds and the possible mechanisms of action involved. This review also suggests further research strategies to harness the therapeutic potential of this plant. Materials and methods The present review is the outcome of a systematic search of scientific literature about ‘Withania somnifera and its role in cancer prevention’. The scientific databases viz. Google Scholar, Science Direct, Pubmed and Web of Science were searched from 2001 to 2019. Textbooks, magazines and newspapers were also consulted. This review summarizes all the published literature about its therapeutic potential for the treatment of different types of cancers. Results W. somnifera has been widely used in traditional and ayurvedic medicines for treatment of numerous problems related to health and vitality. The plant is a reservoir of diverse phytoconstituents like alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, phenolics, nitrogen containing compounds and trace elements. Withanolides are the major alkaloids which renders its anticancer potential due to its highly oxygenated nature. The plant is highly effective in combating various types of cancers viz. colon, mammary, lung, prostate, skin, blood, liver and kidney. Previous studies depict that this plant is more effective against breast cancer followed by colon, lung, prostate and blood cancer. Furthermore, from different clinical studies it has been observed that the active constituents of the plant like withaferin-A, withanolide-D have least toxic effects. Conclusion The present review confirms the various medicinal values of W. somnifera without any significant side effects. Withaferin-A (WA) and Withanolides are its most promising anticancer compounds that play a major role in apoptosis induction. Keeping in mind the anticancerous potential of this plant, it is suggested that this plant may further be investigated and more clinical studies can be performed.

Screen house studies on biology of citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), were conducted during 2014-15 in screen house of Department of Entomology College of Agriculture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar on citrus mandarin (var. Kinnow). Results on biological studies of D. citri revealed that female on an average laid 151±42.99 eggs with an incubation period of 13.3±1.89 days. The mean duration of first, second and third instar nymphs were 13.1±1.77, 11.1±2.05 and 15.4±2.41 days, respectively. The pupal duration was 108.3±4.33 days. Adult Male lived for 16.5±1.96 days whereas adult female lived for 18.6±2.06 days. The male whitefly completed its life cycle in 178.8±6.73 days whereas the corresponding period for female whitefly was 180±7.02 days. This study established that biology of the insect is rather a stable trait because no significant variation was observed when compared with decade old reports despite the fact that agro-ecology including weather phenomenon have undergone significant change in the last decade.

A field study on population dynamics of citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead) on citrus mandarin (var. Kinnow) was carried out during 2014-15 at Centre of Excellence (COE) for Fruits situated in village Mangiana of district Sirsa, Haryana. The population of nymphs and adults of this pest was recorded from March 2014 to February 2015 at weekly interval. The nymphal population of the pest was observed only between 12th to 47th meteorological standard weeks (SW) with two major peaks i.e. one during 16th SW with a population of 83.44 nymphs/ 20 leaves and the second during 40th SW with a population of 133.22 nymphs/20 leaves. The above said population dynamics confirmed that this pest remained inactive in pupal stage during winter i.e. 48th to 11th SW. Similar trend was observed in respect of adult population. Nymphal population showed significant positive correlation with morning relative humidity (r = 0.329) and sunshine hours (r = 0.362), while adult population was found to have positive correlation with sunshine hours only (r = 0.332). Multiple regression analysis of the pest population with environment variables indicated that out of 45 per cent variability in nymphal population, 37 per cent was due to relative humidity and sunshine hours. Out of the total variability of 30 per cent variation in adult population, 20 per cent was due to evening relative humidity, while 10 per cent attributed to sunshine hours. The other weather parameters were found to have no significant correlation with the pest population. Although study of population dynamics of this study were conducted elsewhere but this is first study of its kind in the state of Haryana. The population dynamics revealed by this study have far reaching significance in pest management strategy as integrated control measures may be focused only during the period wherein population exceeds economic threshold level (ETL). The information on population dynamics of any insect pest in a given ecological niche should be considered as starting point for evolving eco - friendly pest management package.

The aim of this study was to determine the long term use of sodic waters and gypsum on physico-chemical properties of coarse textured loamy sand soil. The study consisted of three natural occurring underground sodic waters and amendment gypsum in various cropping systems. The results demonstrated that sodic water irrigation significantly decreased infiltration rate (1.46 & 1.09 cm hr-1) and soil porosity (35.66 & 33.26 %) and increased soil strength (17.49 & 17.67 kg cm-1), pH (9.52 & 9.66), exchangeable sodium percentage (48.00 & 55.00), sodium adsorption ratio (45.14 & 54.10 (mmol/l)1/2) and calcium carbonate content (2.15 & 2.44 %). The gypsum application significantly improved infiltration rate (2.20 cm hr-1) and soil porosity (38.7 %) and reduced soil strength (16.74 kg cm-1), soil pH (9.35) exchangeable sodium percentage (39.00), sodium adsorption ratio (36.93 (mmol/l)1/2) over a period of thirty years. A significant CaCO3 build up in soil was also observed with gypsum application (3.28 % 4.56 %) as compared to its content at the start of study. Thus, it is concluded that in coarse textured soils of North west India, sodic waters up to RSC 12.0 me l-1 could safely be used crop production in combination with gypsum in loamy sand soil without any adverse effect on the physico-chemical characteristics of soil.

The present study was done to assess the dissipation behavior, decontamination, and half-life time of ready-mix formulation of trifloxystrobin (25% w/w) and tebuconazole (50% w/w) in okra and soil under the crop after foliar spray at fruiting stage. Samples of okra and soil were collected periodically, i.e., zero (2 h after spray), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days after third application at a 7-day interval. Residues of these fungicides were determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) equipped with electron capture detector (ECD) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GCMS-triple quadruple). The limits of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) for both the fungicides were 0.01 and 0.003 mg kg-1, respectively. Washing alone with faucet water was found successful in minimizing the residues. Soil was free from residual contamination at fifth day after spraying in case of both the fungicides and at both the doses.

Field studies were conducted at Hisar during Kharif, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 under natural and unsprayed condition. RCH 134 Bt, HS 6 (non Bt), H 1117 and Ganganagar Ageti (non Bt) were selected for the studies. The experiment was laid down in Randomized Block Design replicated thrice having plant spacing 67.5 × 60 cm. Among the bollworms, Erias spp. exhibited positive correlation with rainfall, minimum temperature and relative humidity morning hours significantly at 5 percent level whereas Helicoverpa and Pectinophora displayed positive relations only with evening hours relative humidity significantly while Spodoptera were significantly positive correlated with relative humidity of morning and evening hours. Bollworm complex was negatively correlated with all the weather parameters employed to study although being non-significant in case of rainfall, maximum and minimum of temperature, morning and evening hours of relative humidity. Among the sucking pests, leafhoppers, whitefly, thrips and aphids population showed significantly negative correlation with weather parameters. The comparison of natural bio-agents in cotton hybrids under study revealed that overall mean population of natural enemies were higher in Bt cotton hybrid as compared to non-Bt. These results confirm that use of genetically modified (Bt) cotton in lieu of conventional genotypes could positively impact non-target and beneficial insect species by preserving their host populations.