Screening of the mite fauna on water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, at 25 localities throughout Kerala (India) yielded a list of 21 phytophagous species from nine families. Distribution of mites at these localities and type of injury produced suggested that Oligonychus biharensis and Orthogalumna terebrantis warrant further study. In an experimental set-up the injury caused by these mites was quantified. Infestation by Ol. biharensis lead to reduced photosynthesis by the host (significant loss in chlorophyll content). Injurious effects of Or. terebrantis involved leaf mining by the developing instars leading to wilting of the leaves resulting in reduced dry weight. The relative merits of the two species as potential control agents of water hyacinth are discussed.

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Pine nuts are the edible seeds of genus Pinus.L There are approximately 30 species used in considerable amount, out of which only three species such as P. pinea, P. koraiensis and P. gerardiana are internationally traded 1. Among these three, two species are widely harvested in Asia, Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis) in northeast Asia and Chilgoza Pine (Pinus gerardiana) in the western Himalaya 2. Chilgoza is found in Pakistan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan Provinces, the Northern Areas (Gilgit Agency) and Kashmir 3. They are eaten raw or roasted. They are included as ingredients in a variety of traditional dishes, such as breads, candies, sauces and cakes, as well as vegetable and meat dishes. Chilgoza fat is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Destaillats et al. 1 reported 90 % unsaturated fatty acids (51 % linoleic acid and 37 % oleic acid) highest among all the pine species studied. Nuts generally contain inherit antioxidants which retard their oxidation. However Kornsteiner et al. 4 reported that pine nuts contain lowest antioxidant activity among the nuts studied. Therefore pine nuts, specially unshelled, are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation. The oxidation reactions lead indirectly to the formation of numerous aliphatic aldehydes, ketones and alcohols 5,6. Simultaneously, off-flavours like oxidized, cardboard and painty increase in such nuts 7-9. Pine nuts, extracted from pine coats, are covered with a hard shell. The removal of shell at the time of consumption is

The numerical abundance of oribatid mites makes them the most important quantitative component among the soil mesofauna. Within the soil, they are actively involved in litter decomposition mainly due to their habit of feeding on plant residues (

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