Plant parasitic nematodes are gaining considerable importance worldwide due to their devastating effects on crops leading to major economic downturn. Nematodes are attracted to plant roots via soluble and gaseous attractants produced by root itself or by attendant rhizosphere microorganisms. Just how nematodes move through soil to locate plant roots is poorly understood but is of considerable importance to predict the important role nematode play in soil ecosystems. Investigation was conducted to compare and contrast the differences in host recognition of root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne graminicola and M. incognita on rice and tomato in pluronic gel medium resembling natural three dimensional soil environment. A significant preference of M. incognita for tomato and M. graminicola for rice was observed in attraction bioassay reassured by penetration and development study in different host plants. Thus, either the blend of attractants and repellents are different in good and poor hosts; or, relatively long range attractants along with shorter range repellents might affect nematode movement patterns. Therefore, plant volatiles like small lipophilic molecules emitted by root exudates of tomato and rice were isolated through solid phase extraction to investigate their effect on root-knot nematodes. The semiochemicals present in those molecules negatively influenced the behavior of M. incognita and M. graminicola in stylet thrusting, motility and mortality bioassay. Therefore, it is proposed that lipophilic molecules present in both tomato and rice root exudates play important roles during the interaction of Meloidogyne spp. with their host plants and that they might exert a repellent, or allellopathic effect on these nematodes

written by agri-2012

Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Agronomists today are involved with many issues including producing food, creating healthier food, managing environmental impact of agriculture, and creating energy from plants. Agronomists often specialize in areas such as crop rotation, irrigation and drainage, plant breeding, plant physiology, soil classification, soil fertility, weed control, insect and pest control.

written by agri-2012

Fruit and Vegetable Market

Vertical Garden

Horticulture produce and health

Horticulture is the science, art, technology and business involved in intensive plant cultivation for human use. It is practiced from the individual level in a garden up to the activities of a multinational corporation. It is very diverse in its activities, incorporating plants for food (fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, culinary herbs) and non-food crops (flowers, trees and shrubs, turf-grass, hops, grapes, medicinal herbs). It also includes related services in plant conservation, landscape restoration, landscape and garden design/construction/maintenance, horticultural therapy, and much more. This wide range of food, medicinal, environmental, and social products and services are all fundamental to developing and maintaining human health and well-being

written by agri-2012