Agroecology deals with the application of ecological principles in agroecosystems, and represents a logical response to shortcomings of conventional agriculture. The book by Clements and Shrestha elaborates on several aspects of this ‘new’ approach, focusing on soil-related issues, pest, disease and weed problems, and their integrated management, the integration of livestock in agriculture, the potential role of transgenic plants in such systems, and future research and teaching challenges. Each chapter is written by different contributors mostly based in the US. The presentation is rather dull, and the reader has to know his/her ropes: a lot of terms are used without introduction or further explanation. This might limit the number of potential readers. The book hesitates between being a text book that could be used in class (but then it is not complete nor didactic enough), and being a collection of papers dealing with all or most issues that are still pending, and here also I am afraid the book is not complete. The big question of whether and how agroecology will feed the world is not addressed: economic and financial cost/benefit and the economics of agroecology are nowhere discussed. If agroecology has to become the guiding principle of international agriculture for the near future, then it should also be able to address such issues as drought and salinity stress, or depleted soils—these themes, however, are only touched upon very superficially when dealing with other subjects. Moreover, Third World agriculture only receives marginal attention, whereas rice, which is by far the most important (tropical) crop, is only dealt with in relation with soil microbiology, and not as a crop. The conclusion is that the book is quite incomplete, and sometimes even too superficial to be a good introduction to the theme of agroecology. Some capita selecta are interesting reads, but the overall impression remains that this theme deserved better.

https://bioone.org/journals/economic-botany/volume-59/issue-3/0013-0001(2005)059[0299:DFABRE]2.0.CO;2/Ecological-Engineering-for-Pest-ManagementAdvances-in-Habitat-Manipulation-for-Arthropods/10.1663/0013-0001(2005)059[0299:DFABRE]2.0.CO;2.pdf

Ecological Engineering for Pest Management—Advances in Habitat Manipulation for Arthropods

Blister blight a threatened problem in tea industry: A review

Insect and mite pests are damaging stressors that are threatening the cultivation of tea plants, which result in enormous crop loss. Over the years, the effectiveness of synthetic pesticides has allowed for its prominent application as a control strategy. However, the adverse effects of synthetic pesticides in terms of pesticide residue, environmental contamination and insect pest resistance have necessitated the need for alternative strategies. Meanwhile, microbial pesticides have been applied to tackle the damaging activities of the insect and mite pests of tea plants, and their performances were scientifically adjudged appreciable and environmental friendly. Herein, entomopathogenic microbes that were effective against tea geometrid (Ectropis obliqua Prout), tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii Matsuda), paraguay tea ampul (Gyropsylla spegazziniana), tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse) and red spider mite (Oligonychus coffea Nietner) have been reviewed. The current findings revealed that microbial pesticides were effective and showed promising performances against these pests. Overall, this review has provided the basic and integrative information on the integrated pest management (IPM) tool(s) that can be utilized towards successful control of the aforementioned insect and mite pests.

Ecologically controlling insect and mite pests of tea plants with microbial pesticides: a review

The red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae Nietner (Acari: Tetranychidae), is a prevalent mite pest damages tea crops. The present study evaluated the efficacy of L. alba essential oil against O. cof...

Acaricidal and ovicidal properties of Lippia alba essential oil and its chemical constituents against red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae Nietner (Acari: Tetranychidae) infesting tea crops

Fecundity, hatching, pupation, adult emergence, developmental periods, number of generations adult longevity, F1 progeny and index of susceptibility indicated that the varieties K-9107 and K-9162 as prefered and the varieties K-68, K80–27 K-9465, PBW-343 were less preferred food for R. dommlca.

Response of Wheat varieties to lesser grain borer, Rhizopertha dominica (Fabr.)

Tea, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze, is a perennial crop and grown as a monoculture on large contiguous areas. Tea crop have great economic value in India because India is the second largest tea producing country after china. Tea plant is subjected to the attack of several notorious pests such as insects, mites, nematodes, diseases and weeds. Among them Oligonychus coffeae Nietner (Acari: Tetranychidae), the red spider mite (RSM), is a major pest of tea (Camellia sinensis) in most teaproducing countries. This causes great economic losses to the tea growing countries. Red spider mite present of the tea crop throughout the year because tea is a perennial crop provides food and shelter due to which Nymphs and adults of RSM lacerate cells, producing minute characteristic reddish brown marks on the upper surface of mature leaves, which turn red in severe cases of infestation, resulting in crop loss. The authors tried here to collect the information about Seasonal abundance, status of RSM, stages, life history, nature of damage, symptoms, reasons of occurrence of RSM as well as control measures including IPM strategies.

https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2018/vol6issue3/PartH/6-3-2-927.pdf

Oligonychus coffeae: Red spider mite of tea: A review

A laboratory experiment was conducted at Department of Entomology, Rajasthan college of Agriculture, Udaipur during December, 2013 to December 2015 to study the effect of five temperature (20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C) and five relative humidity (50, 55, 60, 65 and 70%) on the biology of Rhizopertha dominica on wheat grains (variety Lok-1). The combination of 30°C temperature and 70 per cent relative humidity was preferred by the pest where maximum fecundity (240.60 eggs/female), highest egg hatching per cent (87.50) and maximum adult survival per cent (78.83). Minimum incubation period (5.33 days), minimum duration of larval and pupal period (31.17 days) and shortest developmental period from egg to adult stage (36.50 days) was recorded at 35°C temperature and 70 per cent relative humidity, but adult longevity of male and female adult was recorded to 40.80 and 42.00 days, respectively at 35°C temperature and 60 per cent relative humidity. The interaction of temperature and relative humidity at 20°C and 50 per cent retarded the growth and development of R. dominica by giving longest hatching period (16.50 days), maximum larval and pupal period (81.83 days) and longest developmental period from egg to adult (98.33 days) whereas, minimum fecundity (47.47 eggs/female), minimum hatching (34.17%), minimum adult survival (30.83%) and maximum longevity of adult male (66.50 days) and female (67.70 days).

https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2018/vol6issue1/PartH/5-6-289-920.pdf

Dinesh Kachhawa

Papers

Oligonychus coffeae: Red spider mite of tea: A review

To study the effect of different temperature and relative humidity on the biology of Rhizopertha dominica