<div>Background: Maize is an important cereal crops as it is a good source of nutrition and raw material for industries. Among various pathogens attacking maize crop, banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) caused by Rhizoctonia solani f.sp sasakii is a potential threat for quality maize production. It affects all the plant parts at every stage of crop growth.&nbsp; 
 
Methods:&nbsp;The present investigation was carried out at Regional Research Station Uchani, Karnal of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to evaluate the efficiency and efficacy of biorational products (Cowpathy) such as Vedic Krishi inputs viz., Beejamrit and Jiwamrit, compost extract and biocontrol agents with the objective to manage banded leaf and sheath disease and increasing yield of maize.&nbsp; 
 
Result: All the biorational products were found quite effective in controlling the disease and enhancing the yield attributes. Seed treatment with Achook (Neem based fungicide containing azadirachtin) @ 2 g/l of seed was found most effective in controlling disease upto 51.77 per cent. Seed treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 ml/kg followed by Beejamrit @ 10 ml/kg were also found effective in reducing the disease incidence as compared to control. These are economic, reliable and viable sources and hold good promise for use in organic and sustainable agriculture.</div>

Field Efficacy of Cowpathy Products and Biological Control Agents in Controlling Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight Disease and Increasing Maize Yield

<div>Background: A two-year field study was carried out during the Kharif seasons of 2023 and 2024 at the Institutional farm of ANDUAT Kumarganj in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The research aimed to assess the effects of seed biopriming and foliar application using biocontrol agents and liquid biofertilizers on the growth and yield of Moong bean. 
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Methods: Seed biopriming typically involves the application of beneficial microorganisms to enhance germination potential. The present investigation was carried out on two varieties of green gram i.e., NDM-1 (Collect from ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, U.P) and Sikha (collect from IIPR, Kanpur, U.P) and seed biopriming with two different biocontrol agents (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma viridae) used in different concentration and two different liquid biofertilizers (Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria @20% respectively.) following Randomised block design with three replication. The experiment comprised of sixteen biopriming along with hydropriming and control. Seed had been treated with control (T0), seeds soaked in distil water/hydropriming (T1); PF @ 25% (T2); PF @ 50% (T3); PF @ 75% (T4); TV @ 25% (T5); TV @ 50% (T6); TV @75% (T7); liquid ASP @ 20%(T8); liquid PB @ 20% (T9); T2&nbsp;+ foliar spray of PF @ 2 g/l (T10); T3&nbsp;+&nbsp; foliar spray of PF @ 2 g/l&nbsp; of water (T11); T4 + foliar spray of PF @ 2 g/l of water (T12);&nbsp; T5&nbsp;+ foliar spray of TV @ 2 g/l of water (T13);&nbsp; T6&nbsp;+ foliar spray of TV @ 2 g/l of water (T14); T7&nbsp;+ foliar spray of TV @ 2 g/l of water (T15); T8&nbsp;+ foliar spray of ASP @ 2 g/l of water (T16); T9&nbsp;+ foliar spray of PB @ 2 g/l of water (T17). 
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Result: Seed bio primed with pseudomonas fluorescens @ 75% (T4) was found very effective in both Kharif&nbsp; season (2023 and 2024), which enhance the Plant height, No. of branches/plant, No. of pods/plant, seed yield and its attributes .The seed yield/plant for this treatment was 4.46 gm and 4.03 gm respectively&nbsp; followed by seed biopriming with pseudomonas fluorescens @50% + foliar application of pseudomonas fluorescens @ 2 g/l&nbsp; of water (T10) on 30 and 45 DAS&nbsp; in both kharif season as compared to non-primed seed 1.73 gm and 1.99 gm respectively.</div>

Effects of Seed Treatment and Foliar Application by using Biological Control Agents and Liquid Organic Fertilizers on Development and Yield on Moong Bean (Vigna radiata L.)

<div>Agriculture is the most important economic activity around the world with its contributions reflected by its share in the gross domestic product of countries. It ensures food security, provides raw materials for many industries and employment opportunities. Today, pest and diseases are among the main challenges plaguing the agricultural sector. More specifically, phytophagous mites are devastating many economically important crops worldwide. Tetranychus urticae Koch (Two-spotted spider mites), Raoiella indica Hirst, (red palm mites), Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks (broad mites) and Panonychus ulmi Koch (European red mites) are widely known for their extensive damage to crops. To control these mites, farmers have incorporated the use of pesticides into their farming systems. However, chemical control comes with many problems such as insect resistance, detrimental environmental effects and various human health implications. As such biological control is an environmentally friendly alternative that uses bio-control agents such as predators, pathogens and parasitoids to control pests. In this review, it was found that predators and pathogens were the most widely used biocontrol agents, specifically, the Amblyseius spp. Berlese were most effective and widely documented. The available literature also suggests that for successful control of agricultural mites via biological control, there needs to be a clear understanding of the behaviors of these mites and the bio-control agents used. 
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Biological Control Methods for Agricultural Mites: A Review

The biological method of weed control is an effective option. Before implementing bio-agents, there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in interactions by multiple agents against weeds. This covers knowledge of how plants integrate and prioritize their responses to multiple attackers. Across the globe, terrestrial ecosystems are known to be characterized by a huge diversity of species and a corresponding diversity of interactions between these species. These include species of different trophic levels of habitats on the same food chain. Plants undoubtedly play significant role as intermediaries in interactions between the insect and microbial populations with which they are involved. Plant interactions brought forth by one species can have cascading impacts on other species, influencing their abundances and the composition of communities. Several research efforts are underway to develop highly effective biological control agents to reliably control a problematic broad spectrum of weeds. Sustainable and ecosystem-compatible weed management for controlling weeds by biological means, such as insects, bio-agents, myco-herbicides and harmful Rhizobacteria. Their interaction with cultural practices and allelochemicals are some biological components of sustainable agriculture. Hence, biological agents enhance efficiency and restrict the detrimental effect of weeds compared to weeds being left alone. The challenge is to identify appropriate microbe/bioagents, which reduce weed growth. Logically, biological weed management is the only way to control weeds in eco-friendly weed management.

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Pioneering Innovations in Biological Weed Control: A Comprehensive Review

<div style="text-align: justify;">Fungal pathogenic populations such as Sclerotinia, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium are ubiquitous and have broad range of host enabling them to cause a severe infection resulting in huge yield losses. Albeit the various tactics such as cultural, mechanical implemented to counteract the havoc, it still creates a formidable challenge to the researchers to keep the pathogenic population below threshold. From Eco-friendly sustenance perspective, Biological control can play a vital role in combination along with the other efficient tactics. In field condition various strains are available having two characters namely virulent and hypovirulent, the latter may exhibit hypovirulent nature genetically or due to the invasion of mycoviruses becomes hypovirulent. In both the cases are of interest to the researchers in studying the biological control exhibited by the mycoviruses. The biocontrol agents include Mycoviruses, which plays a significant role in infecting the virulent fungal pathogen by reducing their virulence giving to a phenomenon known as Hypovirulence. Their genome consist of mostly dsRNA and others include +ssRNA, -ssRNA and dsDNA. These studies in fungal and viral interaction can lead to the development of novel biological control strategies and help us to explore upto the molecular level.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Potential of Mycovirus in the Biological Control of Fungal Plant Pathogens: A Review</div>

<div>Background: The importance of standardized organic fertilizers with relatively balanced levels of NPK elements, in order to increase the role of organic fertilizers as a source of nutrition for plants which at the same time can improve soil physical, chemical and&nbsp; biological properties and can increase the role of organic fertilizers as a medium for growth and development of biological agents so that they can increase its role as a biopesticide and biofertilizer, thereby simultaneously increasing crop productivity on marginal land. 
 
Methods: This research was conducted in the period June-November 2019 at South Konawe Regency Southeast Sulawesi Indonesia and in the Integrated Laboratory of Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kendari Halu Oleo University. Assessing and formulating organic fertilizers by taking into account the composition of the ingredients which include; C/N ratio of the total material, elemental content of NPK, C-Organic content, moisture content and pH, to produce standardized organic fertilizers, with relatively balanced levels of NPK elements. The field research was arranged in a randomized block design consisting of 3 treatments including B0 = Inorganic fertilizer (control); B1 = Organic fertilizer formula A + agens hayati Biofresh; B2 = Organic fertilizer formula B + agens hayati biofresh. Each treatment was repeated 3 times, which in total there were 9 experimental units. 
 
Result: The formulation of organic fertilizers by taking into account the composition of the ingredients can produce organic fertilizers of a standard quality, with relatively balanced levels of NPK elements, effectively increasing the ability of biofresh biological agents, so as to increase the disease suppression index by 30.12%, with an increase in productivity of 14.31% of non-standard organic fertilizer treatments. And with the efficiency of using biofresh biological agents of 70.6%.</div>

Standardized Organic Fertilizer Formulations and their Effectiveness in Enhancing the Role of Biological Agents to Increase Disease Resistance and Maize Productivity in Marginal Lands

India stands as a global agricultural powerhouse, employing over 60% of its population in farming and related sectors. Agriculture forms a significant pillar of the nation&rsquo;s GDP, with vegetables being a cornerstone of its horticultural output. Despite advancements in vegetable production, the sector faces myriad challenges, including insect infestations, diseases and other biotic and abiotic factors that compromise yield and quality. This review article delves into the biological control of pests in key tropical vegetable crops like brinjal, tomato, chili, okra and cucurbits. It explores the use of biological control agents such as predators, parasitoids and pathogens as part of integrated pest management strategies aimed at reducing the dependency on synthetic pesticides. It provides an in-depth analysis of common pests such as whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs and thrips, as well as crop-specific pests like brinjal and bhendi shoot and fruit borers. The paper underscores the advantages of biological control, including its environmental sustainability and reduced risk of pest resistance, while also acknowledging its limitations such as slower pest elimination rates and higher costs. It calls for concerted efforts from governmental bodies, NGOs and agricultural institutes to promote awareness and training in biological control methods. The focus of the review is to advocate for a paradigm shift towards sustainable and effective pest management practices in India&rsquo;s vegetable farming sector.

Biological Control of Pests in Major Tropical Vegetable Crops: A Review

<div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Low nutrient content in ultisol soils and the result of Maydis leaf rot are a major problem in efforts to increase corn productivity in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The use of organic materials and biological agents is one of the solutions in increasing disease resistance and corn productivity in the environmentally friendly ultisol lands. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the biological agent Biofresh combined with various types of organic material to increase resistance to Maydis leaf rot and maize productivity in ultisol lands.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Methods: Research in April-August 2017 in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. With 21 units of experiments using a random block design with 7 treatments in combination of Biofresh with organic material &lsquo;Bokashi&rsquo;. consists of: B0 = Inorganic fertilizer; B1 = Organic material of cow dung; B2 = Biofresh Biological Agent; B3 = Biofresh biological agent combined with cow dung organic matter; B4 = Biofresh biological agent combination with bokashi cow dung and straws; B5 = Biofresh combination of biological agents with bokashi cow dung and soybean Sitter; B6 = Biofresh Biological agent combination with all Cow, straw and soybean bokashi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Result: The results showed that the combination of Biofresh with organic material in the form of bokashi at a dose of 5 tons ha-1 was very effective in increasing the durability and productivity of corn plants in ultisol land. The combination of Biofresh biological agents with bokashi containing cow&rsquo;s feses, straw, and soy litter can reduce Maydis leaf blight leaf blight disease by 47.36% and increase production by 53.54%. Disease suppression index is positively correlated with maize crop productivity in Ultisol land.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Increase Resistance to Maydis Leaf Blight and Productivity of Maize in Ultisol Soils with A Combination of Organic Material and Biological Agents Biofresh</div>

Background: Pepper growing fields in the Babil and Wasit governorates in Iraq, are suffering from a decline in production due to the spread of root rot diseases. The use of biological control techniques, such as the use of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere and natural plant extracts, along with chemical fungicides, has recently contributed to reducing the damage of plant pathogens globally. 
 
Methods: In this research, the main cause of root rot disease in pepper plants was isolated and diagnosed using polymerase chain reaction technology using (TEF-1&alpha;) gene, antagonistic activities of 75 rhizobacterial isolates, natural extracts of garlic and nerium and the fungicides of Promess and Tecto 500 SC were tested in vitro against the pathogen, then the superior bacterial isolates were identified. The ability of biological and chemical agents to control the disease was tested under greenhouse conditions according to the completely randomized design (CRD). 
 
Result: The results of isolation showed that the fungus Fusarium solani was dominance and the isolate Fsw45 was the most virulent. 3 of 75 rhizobacterial isolates outperformed the pathogen in an antagonistic tests and identified as Pseudomonas mendocina, P. fluorescens and Staphylococcus kloosii also the fungicides and botanical extracts showed significant antagonistic activities as well in vitro. Under greenhouse conditions, the fungicide treatments excelled in disease control by 100%. As for the 3 bacterial isolates, they achieved a significant reduction in the percentage of disease incidence and disease severity index, their abilities were higher than the nerium and garlic extracts.

Some Chemical and Biological Methods to Control Pepper Root Rot Disease in Iraq

<div>Background: In India, out of the total loss incurred by different insect pests of paddy, 25 to 30 per cent damage is done by stem borer alone. Many conventional insecticides though have been evaluated against stem borers, yet, most of the chemicals have failed to provide adequate control. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of some newer molecules of insecticides and bio-control agents. 
 
Methods: Field trials were conducted to record the seasonal incidence and to evaluate the efficacy of insecticides and bio-control agents against the stem borer species in rice during Kharif and Rabi.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Field experiments revealed that during Kharif 2018, chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC was highly effective with 92.98 and 91.24 per cent reduction of stem borer infestation over control at vegetative and reproductive stages, respectively and recorded a high yield of 5720 kg/ha followed by spinetoram 11.7 SC with 83.16 and 80.82 per cent reduction of stem borer over control at vegetative and reproductive stages, respectively. During Rabi 2019, spinetoram 11.7 SC was highly effective with 92.36 and 93.73 per cent reduction of stem borer infestation over control at vegetative and reproductive stages respectively and recorded a high yield of 4570 kg/ ha, followed by chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC with 84.60 and 91.48 per cent reduction of stem borer at vegetative and reproductive stages, respectively. The difference in the efficacy of insecticides during Khaif, 2018 and Rabi, 2019, might be due to shift in the species occurrence of stem borer, with a dominant occurrence of yellow stem borer (80.61%) in Kharif 2018 and pink stem borer (70.00%) in Rabi, 2019. The bio-control agent Trichogramma japonicum exerted minimum reduction of stem borer with a low grain yield of 3946.6 kg/ha.</div>