Physiological Age Status of Female Adults and Off-Season Survival of Rice Leaffolder Cnaphalocrocis medinalis in India

Rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, is one of the major foliage feeders found in the rice growing regions in India. When the crop was at maturity, numerous adults of rice leaffolder were found in the rice fields though the larval population gradually decreased, and no eggs were found on rice leaves. The population characteristics of C. medinalis were assessed based on the physiological age status of adults at different crop growth stages. Based on egg development within ovarioles, ovariole appearance number and colour of fat bodies, and characteristics of bursa copulatrix, physiological age status of the adults was described, which served as a basis for the determination of age composition. C. medinalis adults were found during the first week of August on rice plants, of which 44% were in Age 0 with immature ovaries, indicating immigrants. However, 28% adults each were at Ages 1-2 with developing ovaries, indicating local breeding population. The carryover and off-season survival of C. medinalis were also studied to determine the contribution of the alternative hosts in the population growth that helped in devising efficient management strategies. Rice was the most preferred host followed by Triticum aestivum, Echinochloa crusgulli and Brachiaria plantaginea. Various routes of the carryover of C. medinalis from season to season were discussed.

Differences in Physiological Age Affect Diagnosis of Nitrogen Deficiencies in Cornfields

Many studies have shown that chlorophyll meter readings （CMRs） can be used to diagnose deficiencies of nitrogen （N） during the growth of corn （Zea mays L.） in small-plot trials, but there is need to address additional problems encountered when diagnoses are made in fields of the size managed in production agriculture. A noteworthy difference between smallplot trials and production agriculture is the extent to which the effects of N are confounded with the effects of other factors such as tillage, landscape, soil organic matter and moisture content. We illustrate how some of these factors can cause differences in the physiological age of plants and introduce errors in the diagnoses of N deficiencies. We suggest methods （measuring the height to the youngest leaf collar and assigning leaf numbers by using the first leaf with pubescence and the ear leaf as references to identify growth stages） for minimizing these errors. The simplified method of growth stage identification can be used to select appropriate plants and leaves for making diagnoses in fields and to distinguish the effects of N from the effects of other factors that influence plant growth.

Observation of granulations in the basal body of ovarioles and follicular dilatations for the determination of physiological age of Anopheles gambiae s.s.

Objective:To explore ovariole basal body granulations and follicular dilatations for determining physiological age inAnopheles gambiaes.s.(An.gambiaes.s.).Methods:Mosquitoes were collected by using window trap catch and identified morphologically.For the first lot ofmosquitoes,they were dissected,and ovary was left in distilled water for reading ovarian tracheoles and the second was cut and transferred to another blade in a physiological liquid for verification of ovariole basal body granulations.The same approach was followed with the second lot of mosquitoes where follicular dilatations were found after classic dilaceration of ovaries were transferred into physiological liquid.The other body parts of mosquitoes were used to identify the species of theAn.gambiaes.s.complex by PCR.Results:Among the 123An.gambiae s.s.of the first lot,the method of Detinova determined the age of 89 mosquitoes versus 114 for the observation of granulations(P>0.05).Among the 112An.gambiae s.s.of the second lot,the method of Detinova determined the age of 84 mosquitoes versus 93 for the observation of follicular dilatations(P>0.05).Unlike the method of Detinova,observation of follicular dilatations and basal body granulations of ovarioles were possible beyond the stage II Christophers.Conclusions:Overall,the observation of follicular dilatations and ovariole basal body granulations are reliable for the determination of the physiological age inAn.gambiaes.s.Furthermore,these two methods can be used beyond the stage II.

Rooting Potential of Mini-Cuttings for the Production of Potato Plantlets

The production of mini-tubers under soilless cultivation system increased the availability of pathogen-free seed potatoes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the rooting capability of mini-cuttings of potato clones as a function of the irrigation solution and the physiological age of the mother plant, under soilless cultivation system. Potato mini-cuttings were collected from young and mature plants of the cultivars Asterix and Macaca and the advanced clone SMINIA 793101-3. The young plants were newly acclimatized individuals and the mature plants were at the stage of producing mini-tubers. In the first experiment, mini-cuttings originating from summer pruning of mature plants were grown under closed soilless cultivation system irrigated with a nu- trient solution developed for the production of potato mini-tubers and a solution comprised of tap water only. The experiment was conducted in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (clones and irrigation solutions) in the complete random design with four replicates of 15 mini-cuttings. In the second experiment, the young and mature mini-cuttings were established under a closed soilless cultivation system irrigated with nutrient solution. The experiment was conducted in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (clones and physiological age of the mother plant) in the complete random design with four replicates of 15 mini-cuttings. In both experiments, the percentage of rooting and survival of mini-cuttings, number of roots and length of the longest root were assessed at 21 days of cultivation. Potato mini-cuttings can be rooted under closed soilless cultivation system irrigated with nutrient solution or tap water. Mini-cuttings of young plants have higher rooting capability compared to the ones taken from mature plants. The loss of rooting capability depends upon the potato cultivar.