<div>Background: Pigeonpea is a low input, rainfed crop that provides economic returns every part of the plant. Insect-pests are the major biotic constraints limiting the productivity of this crop. Keeping all these factors in mind, the present experiment was conducted to study the population dynamics of insect-pests in different growing environments and their relationship with microclimate of pigeonpea cultivars. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted at research farm of Department of Agricultural Meteorology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, during Kharif season 2017. Insect-pests population was recorded from the five tagged plants at weekly interval starting from 38th standard meteorological week (SMW) till harvesting of the crop. Ground sheet method was used to record the population of larvae of M. vitrata and H. armigera. Larvae of M. vitrata and H. armigera falling on cloth sheet of size 60 cm &times;&nbsp;60 cm laid near plant stem were counted. Web formed by M. vitrata larvae were visually counted and then removed to count larvae feeding inside the webs. 
 
Result: In our experiment, it was found that H. armigera infestation started from 38th SMW in all the varieties and D1 and D2 sown crop while in D3 sown crop it started in 40th SMW. On the other hand the larval population of M. vitrata started from 38th SMW, 39th SMW and 40th SMW in all varieties and D1, D2 and D3 sown crops, respectively where as the formation of webs in all the varieties and D1 sown crop started from 38th SMW while in D2 and D3 sown crops started from 39th SMW and continued till 45th SMW. Mean larval population of H. armigera, M. vitrata and number of webs per plant was found highest in D1 sown crop on variety Manak.</div>

Study of Population Dynamics of Insect-pests in Different Growing Environments and their Relationship with Microclimate of Pigeonpea Cultivars

<div style="text-align: justify;">An attempt was made in this study to assess the indigenous composition (slow and fast-growers) of soybean-rhizobia, their symbiotic efficiency and nitrogen &nbsp;fixation in Vertisols of Madhya Pradesh under different cropping systems. The soils were collected from soybean-based (soybean-wheat and soybean-chickpea) and cereal-based (maize-wheat, rice-wheat and maize-chickpea) systems during 2013-15 from two agro climatic zones of the state. One of the sampling sites was under Long Term Fertilizer Experiment with soybean-wheat system where three treatments - absolute control, recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) and RDF+FYM were considered. Ratio of fast-growing soybean rhizobia was more in those cropping systems where soybean was one of the crops while population of slow-growers was more with cereal-cereal or maize-chickpea cropping systems. Nodulation and N symbiotic efficiency (N content and uptake) was better with slow-growing rhizobia as compared to fast-growing. Maximum SOC was found at maximum vegetative growth stage in soybean-wheat rotation (5.7 g kg-1 soil) under RDF+FYM and minimum (3.2 g kg-1 soil) in absolute control. Available soil N was more in kharif season with soybean. Legume based systems and rabi season reflected better conversion of NH4+ to NO3--N.</div>

Slow and fast-growing soybean rhizobial population, their symbiotic efficiency and soil nitrogen behavior under different cropping systems in Vertisols of Madhya Pradesh, India

<div>Background: Although induced mutagenesis can rapidly generate genetic diversity, every genotype responds differently to different mutagen treatments in induceing genetic diversity. This study assesses and compares the genetic diversity of two mutant faba bean populations. 
 
Methods: Two genotypes representing landrace (Hassawi 2) and inbred variety (ILB4347) were exposed to gamma radiation and diethyl sulfate (DES). Two hundred eighty-two samples derived from individual 140 M2 mutant plants of Hassawi 2 and ILB 4347 and two parental lines were characterized using 11 Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) primer combinations. 
 
Result: 89,820 bands within 2,083 polymorphic alleles were generated from the samples. Genetic diversity comparison of the mutant populations revealed that each genotype had varying responses to different treatments. The two genotypes had a relatively similar response to gamma radiation, while different responses were recorded in DES-derived mutant plants. Based on the Nei&rsquo;s genetic distance, the populations were separated based on the genotypic origin. The population structure analyses showed that the Hassawi 2 and ILB4347 mutant populations were clustered into three and two groups, respectively. The difference in the number of clusters between the two mutant populations explains their breeding history. The present diversity considered as a valuable material used for breeding and conservation purposes.</div>

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Two Faba Bean Mutant Populations Based on AFLP Markers

<div>Background: Cereal Cyst Nematodes (CCN) are prevailing in all type of agricultural lands and responsible for enormous losses of cereal crops. The understandings on population densities and management of these nematode are required to improve crop health and productivity. 
 
Methods: A study was designed to assess the incidence of cereal cyst nematodes in wheat and rice monoculture cropping regions of eight districts of Punjab province, viz., Jhang, Khushab, layyah, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Gujranwala and Sargodha in Pakistan. Population densities of cereal cyst nematodes were studied by extracting the cysts and second stage juveniles from soil samples and identified the nematode species.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The CCNs were found in 80% of the total 250 samples collected from wheat and rice monoculture fields of at least one crop. In the soil samples collected from wheat fields, an average of 7 to 38 cysts/100g of dry soil with eggs and J2 population of 142-771 were recorded. Whereas from the soil samples of rice fields, 17 to 25 cysts/100g soil were found with 345 to 508 eggs and juveniles. Among the wheat fields, the lowest incidence of 5.5% was recorded in kot&ndash;momin and highest incidence of 16.88% was recorded in Silanwali tehsils of Sargodha region. In rice fields, 24.69 to 27.00% incidence of CCNs was noticed in soil samples of various surveyed regions. Three different species of Heterodera genus were morphologically identified from the collections. The species includes Heterodera oryzae, Heterodera avenae and Heterodera graminophila. H. oryzae was more abundant in rice growing regions while H. avenae and H. graminophila were present dominantly in wheat growing regions. This study provides an inclusive information regarding cereal cyst nematode densities and species in wheat-rice growing regions of Punjab province of Pakistan.</div>

<div>Incidence of Cereal Cyst Nematode Prevailing in Wheat-rice Growing Regions of Punjab Province, Pakistan</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">India is the fourth largest chicken producer after China, Brazil, and the USA. The per capita consumption of chicken has gone up from 400 gm to 2.5 kg per year, and human nutritionists recommend 10 kg chicken per year. To feed billions of Indian population, there is a lot of scope for the chicken industry to enhance the production. At the same time, many studies revealed that genotype significantly affects functional properties as well as the nutritional characteristics of chicken. The fast-growing chicken strains appear to be more attractive both for industrial and consumer use whereas from a nutritional point of view meat from slow growing chicken strains appears healthier (less fat and higher content of n-3 PUFA) and thus might better fit with the consumer&#39;s prospect. In acceptability for meat quality, slow growing chicken showed the better sensory quality of the chicken breast meat. Thus, for the demand of customer&#39;s for the higher quality of chicken meat, it is suggested to use slow growing chicken in alteration to fast-growing broilers. This review deals with the effects of genotypes (slow growing and fast growing broilers) on physicochemical and organoleptic traits of chicken.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Review on Slow and Fast Growing Chicken Varieties Physicochemical Qualities</div>

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic polymorphism of two populations of introduced R. pseudoacacia growing under drought conditions using ISSR markers. The individuals of R. pseudoacacia from two populations grow in the Ergeninskaya Upland, where a low level of moisture supply is observed. The difference between the populations lies in the conditions of growth, with the first population having a less favorable hydrothermal regime. 
 
Methods: ISSR markers were used to analyze the genetic structure of R. pseudoacacia. During this analysis, 6 out of 18 ISSR primers with a high information content were selected. Polymorphism and genetic diversity of ISSR loci in R. pseudoacacia were evaluated in two populations based on the obtained electropherograms using POPGENE v 1.31. 
 
Result: The study revealed that individuals of R. pseudoacacia growing in less favorable conditions have the greatest polymorphism of ISSR loci. Among individuals of the first population of R. pseudoacacia, the highest proportion of polymorphism was observed when using ISSR primers UBC 808 and UBC 826. Comparison of the obtained results of genetic structure analysis and the vital state showed that individuals with higher polymorphism, particularly using UBC 808 and UBC 826, have a more pronounced resistance to soil moisture deficit. The obtained results can be further used for selection and developing new resistant forms of R. pseudoacacia.

Genetic Diversity Robinia pseudoacacia L. Growing in Drought Conditions using ISSR

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA molecular markers analysis of Spodoptera litura larvae population from seven major soybean growing regions of India revealed, populations from Hyderabad and Indore, shared cent per cent similarity, Pune and Parbhani populations showed 90 per cent similarity, Adilabad population shared 83 per cent similarity with both Hyderabad and Indore populations, while Dharwad and Belagavi populations showed 72 per cent similarity. The lowest genetic similarity value was observed between Dharwad and Parbhani populations (46%). It is clear from the similarity analysis &nbsp;more than 46 per cent similarity between populations of the S. &nbsp;litura &nbsp;from major soybean growing states, demonstrate mediocre genetic differences between the populations. Though much genetic diversity was not observed between S. litura populations, topological and temporal factors perhaps influenced the existed diversity among the populations.

Genetic diversity in Spodoptera litura (Fab.) from major&nbsp;soybean growing states of India 
&nbsp;

<div>Background: Chickpea is the second most important pulse crop grown globally, it is damaged by over 50 insect species in different parts of the world, of which gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) poses serious threat to production. Temperature is one of the important abiotic factor influencing the growth and development of an organism, degree day (DD) models are very useful in pest predictions as development of insects and plants is temperature-dependent and can predict the biological phenomenon with greater accuracy. 
 
Methods: H. armigera adult population at different chickpea phenological stages viz., from emergence to maturity stage was assessed using the weather based indices viz., growing degree days (GDD) and heliothermal units (HTU) during rabi 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.&nbsp; 
 
Results: At different chickpea phenological stages the pest population varied from 0 to 66.3, 0 to 256 and 0 to 124 with respective cumulative population of 148, 555 and 167 male moth catches during three consecutive seasons. Among different phenological stages, highest population was recorded during both pod formation and crop maturity stage during 2015-16 and 2017-18, while in 2016-17 it was maximum during 50 per cent flowering and maturity stage. Among the three seasons, the GDD and cumulative male moth trap catches were found to be highest during 2016-17. The relationship of GDD and HTU with H. armigera was analysed through linear regression and they accounted for 64 and 71 per cent variation respectively in pest population across the seasons. The weather based indices viz., GDD and HTU may thus be useful for predicting H. armigera adult population at different chickpea phenological stages.</div>

Assessment of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) Adult Population in Chickpea using Weather Based Indices

Background: Rice is the most important staple food of the world. Rice production is now-a-days reduced due to insect pest attacking to the crop in various growing stages. There are more than 1400 pest species, which are cause great menace to the rice cultivation. Incidences and abundance of pests in rice is growing day by day due to climatic change and excess use of chemical pesticides. In late direct sown paddy is also facing the insect pest problems in different growing stages. The study aimed to layout the different pest&rsquo;s incidence and population dynamics as well, on various stages of direct sown paddy. The knowledge of incidence timing for various pests can be further utilized for the suitable management.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The present study has been conducted during the late Kharif seasons of 2021-22 for 11 most widely grown paddy cultivars of farmers field around the locality of MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha. The surveyed cultivars were Anjali, Arize 8433, BAM-6, Bhuban, Chandra, CR Dhan 100, Varsha Dhan, CR Dhan 306, Sumit, Luna Sankhi and Vandana, respectively. These cultivars were surveyed for the abundance of various associated insect-pests at two different crop growth stages.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The results revealed that the incidence of various pests namely Scirpophaga incertulus, Orseolia oryzae, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, Parapoynx stagnalis, Dicladispa armigera, Leptocorisa acuta, Grasshoppers, Nezara virdula, Nephotettix virescens, Melantis leda and Mythimna separate was found to be significant for both the growth stages. The maximum population on late direct sown rice was found to be of Scirpophaga incertulus (3.67) and Orseolia oryzae (2.67) at the vegetative stage of rice while pests such as Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (6.34), Leptocorisa acuta (7.34) and Mythimna separate (5.67) were recorded maximum during the milking stage of rice.

Incidence and Population Dynamics of Various Associated Insect-pests of Late Direct Sown Paddy, Oryza sativa L. at Gajapati, Odisha

<div style="text-align: justify;">The objective of the study was to determine the effects of mixer of protected feed additives (MFA) on growth performance, blood metabolites, fecal microflora counts, and immune responses in growing pigs. A total of 150 pigs [(Landrace&times;Yorkshire)&times;Duroc] with an initial body weight (BW) of 25.61 &plusmn; 0.01 kg were used in a 4-week feeding trial. Pigs were allotted to one of five diet groups (basal diet supplemented with 0%, 0.35%, 0.75%, 1.50%, or 3.0% of MFA with 6 replicates per group and 5 pigs/replicate). Inclusion of MFA tended (P=0.085) to results in a linear increase in BW at week 4 and overall average daily gain (ADG, P=0.064). However, MFA inclusion had no effect on average daily feed intake or gain:feed ratio during the entire experiment period. When 3% MFA was added to the diet, reduction was observed for cortisol level (P=0.032) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.008) at 4 weeks after dietary treatments. The inclusion of MFA had positive effects on fecal score at week 3 and 4 (P=0.068, 0.023, respectively) and the count of Lactobacillus was increased at the end of week 1 and 4 (P=0.099, 0.014, respectively), whereas for E. coli decreased at the end of week 1 and 4 (P=0.043, 0.067, respectively). Type O antibody titres against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in growing pigs fed diet supplemented with MFA (1.5%) was significantly (P=0.008) higher than other dietary treatment groups. In conclusion, inclusion of MFA in growing pigs diet may improve ADG, beneficial fecal microflora counts and FMDV type O antibody titre after vaccination and reduced cortisol level, LDL/C and incidences of diarrhoea.</div>

Study of Population Dynamics of Insect-pests in Different Growing Environments and their Relationship with Microclimate of Pigeonpea Cultivars

Slow and fast-growing soybean rhizobial population, their symbiotic efficiency and soil nitrogen behavior under different cropping systems in Vertisols of Madhya Pradesh, India

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Two Faba Bean Mutant Populations Based on AFLP Markers

Incidence of Cereal Cyst Nematode Prevailing in Wheat-rice Growing Regions of Punjab Province, Pakistan

Review on Slow and Fast Growing Chicken Varieties Physicochemical Qualities

Genetic Diversity Robinia pseudoacacia L. Growing in Drought Conditions using ISSR

Genetic diversity in Spodoptera litura (Fab.) from major soybean growing states of India

Assessment of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) Adult Population in Chickpea using Weather Based Indices

Incidence and Population Dynamics of Various Associated Insect-pests of Late Direct Sown Paddy, Oryza sativa L. at Gajapati, Odisha

A Study on effectiveness of a cocktail of protected feed additives in growing pigs