The behavior of the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is known to be affected by plant volatile cues, but its attraction or repellent to specific volatile cues has not been deeply studied yet. Therefore, the aim of our study was to identify the most attractive plant among cultivars of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) to evaluate the volatiles of plants to identify the chemical compound(s) that attract T. vaporariorum. We speculated that whitefly–host plant interaction primarily depends on plant volatile emissions and that once the plant is damaged, it might attract more whiteflies. Three intact (uninfested) tomato, four intact eggplant cultivars and whitefly infested plants of the most whitefly attractive tomato and eggplant cultivars were examined by behavioral assay experiments for attractiveness to T. vaporariorum and headspace volatile were determined by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Whiteflies had the highest preference for the intact eggplant Kuai Yuan Qie (KYQ) among the eggplant and the tomato plant cultivars in bioassay experiments. Although both male and female whiteflies were significantly more attracted to infested KYQ plants than to intact plants, whitefly females did not select conspecific-infested YG plants. The volatile emissions among different plant cultivars in individual species and infested versus intact plants were significantly different. Among these volatiles, identified major green leaf volatiles [(Z)-3-hexen-1-ol] and terpenoids [α-pinene, (E)-β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, azulene] showed a constitutive relationship with the most whitefly preference plants. Our findings provide new insights into the chemical compounds that attract or repel whiteflies.
A. Nadeem et al.
981particularly seed yield (765.00 kg•ha −1 ), whereas minimum traits were noted in the interaction of planting geometry of 30 × 20 cm × two irrigations (20 and 40 DAS). Furthermore, the results of four and three irrigations had non-significant differences with each other means not sharing the same letter differ significantly at 0.05 probability level. Hence, it is concluded that interaction of 45 × 15 cm planting geometry and three irrigations (20, 40 and 60 DAS) is conducive to produce maximum seed yield (kg•ha −1 ) of sesame.
Compost is considered to be superior fertilizer for soil quality and productivity, and is commonly used with chemical fertilizer. The optimal mixed ratio of compost with chemical fertilizer and the best application time is necessary to know for sustainable agriculture practices and management. Compared to the control treatment, this study comprehensively evaluated the effects of four mixed ratios of compost with chemical fertilizer, two nitrogen application times of chemical fertilizer, and their interaction on the soil properties, plant traits, yield, and quality of tomato plants. The soil properties, plant traits, and yield of tomato with all compost-mixed fertilizers performed better than the treatment without fertilizer. Furthermore, the amounts of available nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter, plant weight, and yield in a 30% chemical fertilizer + 70% compost treatments (CF30) were even better than those with pure chemical fertilizer (CF100). No significant effect of nitrogen application time and its interaction with the mixed ratio treatment was detected, and the quality of fruit remained consistent among treatments. This study demonstrated a suitable practical application method for cow manure compost as a nutrient source in tomato crop production under silty loam soil.
Earthworms mix soil layers and bind the soil with organic matter. This combination allows organic matter to disperse through the soil and also allows plants to access the nutrients they retains and enhance the soil’s fertility. Earthworms improve the soil’s biological, chemical, and physical characteristics and serve as soil conditioners. They do so by dissolution, aeration, soil organic breakdown, the release of plant nutrients, and their role in the fastening of nitrogen due to plant growth hormone secretion. However, a variety of soil and environmental factors influence the soil population. Furthermore, it remains uncertain how soil worms modify soil microbial communities’ composition and how they impact the soil’s microbial process. By feeding on microorganisms or selecting and stimulating specific microbial groups, earthworms reduce microbes’ activity and abundance. Earthworms directly impact the plant’s growth and recycling of nutrients but are mainly mediated by indirect microbial community change. Agricultural practices, including the use of pesticides, also contribute to the reduction in soil earthworms. There are no systematic associations among the abundance of earthworms, crop production, and contradictory influence on yield. Earthworms contain hormone-like substances, which encourage the health and growth of plants. This review presents the interaction of earthworms with soil fertility and different agricultural practices, including factors affecting earthworms’ population dynamics in all contexts that enable the adoption of acceptable environmental and earthworms-friendly farming practices for an optimum earthworm, productive, and fertile soil behavior.
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