Strobilanthes kunthiana (Nees) T. Anderson ex Benth locally known as Neelakurinji is an endemic t... more Strobilanthes kunthiana (Nees) T. Anderson ex Benth locally known as Neelakurinji is an endemic to Western Ghat, India and belongs to the Acanthaceae family. It has a unique flowering pattern to bloom every 12 years. The objective of this review is to highlight the taxonomy, distribution, ecology, biology, pharmacological properties, and conservation status of Strobilanthes kunthiana. The plant S. kunthiana is a rich source of pharmacological constituents and can act as herbal alternatives for various disorders. This review discusses the unique botany specifically the flowering pattern for in-depth study to conserve not only for tourism but also for exploring its pharmacological properties and usefulness in apiary. Finally, this review highlights the potential research areas that should be interlinked with promotion of tourism with Neelakurinji attraction as well as its potential use in apiary.
Microflora population in rhizosphere and yield of potato as influenced by weed management practices
A field experiment was conducted at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, during rabi seasons for... more A field experiment was conducted at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, during rabi seasons for two years (2008-10) to assess the microflora population in the rhizosphere of potato as influenced by weed management practices. Pre-emergence application of oxyfluorfen @ 300 g a.i. ha-1 recorded minimum weed population as well as biomass. Potato tuber yield was maximum in oxyfluorfen @ 300 g a.i. ha-1 (35.032 t ha-1) which is statistically at par with oxyfluorfen @ 200 g a.i. ha-1 (34.706 t ha-1). Excluding atrazine @ 1000 g ha-1 and pendimethalin @ 1500 g ha-1 , no phytotoxicity in potato plants was observed in the herbicidal treatments. No detrimental effect on soil micro-flora (total bacteria, actinobacteria and fungi) was observed in the long-term though herbicides decreased the micro-flora population initially.
To find out the effect of weed management on yield and quality of potato and microflora populatio... more To find out the effect of weed management on yield and quality of potato and microflora population in the rhizosphere, a field experiment was carried out at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani ( latitude: 22°57’E, longitude: 88°20’N and altitude: 9.75 m) during two consecutive rabi seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11). Among the different weed management treatments, oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC @ 400 g a.i./ha recorded minimum weed population as well as biomass. Potato tuber yield was maximum in weed free check (31.39 t/ha) which was at par with oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC @ 400 g a.i./ha (31.17 t/ha), oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC @ 300 g a.i./ha (29.605 t/ha) and oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC @ 200 g a.i./ha (29.29 t/ha). Similar trends were recorded in case of reducing sugar whereas reverse trends were observed in case of starch, protein and ascorbic acid content. No phytotoxic effect on potato plants was observed with any of the herbicidal treatment. Though herbicides decreased the micro-flora population ini...
The field experiment was conducted during 2015-16 at Viswavidyalaya farm on summer rice (Oryza sa... more The field experiment was conducted during 2015-16 at Viswavidyalaya farm on summer rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. IET 4786) following system intensification methodology to study the effects of three major pests (weed, insect and disease) on biological productivity. There were two treatments, unprotected and protected which were replicated six times following pair plot technique design. The invading weed, insect and disease pests in the experimental plots were identified. Weed pest caused maximum loss in seed yield 37.02% followed by insect pest 27.9% and disease pest 15.6%. SRI productivity increase may be attributed to improvement in growth and yield parameters resulting from management of pests in the respective critical infestation period. Ecosafe integrated management of all these three major pests during the critical crop pest competition period effectively below the ETL minimized losses to sustain paddy productivity at desired levels.
An experiment was conducted to know the effect of atrazine 50 % WP on the weeds, cane yield of su... more An experiment was conducted to know the effect of atrazine 50 % WP on the weeds, cane yield of sugarcane and its effect on soil microflora at 'C' Block Farm, BCKV, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India during 2010-11 to 2011-12. Higher dose of atrazine @ 4.0 kg ha-1 recorded better weed control efficiency (84.51, 81.74 and 78.94 %, respectively at 10, 35 and 60 DAA). All the treatments of weed control gave the significantly higher cane yield over the control. The data on cane yield revealed that highest cane yield was recorded where the Atrazine 50 % WP @ 4.0 kg ha-1 was applied as pre-emergence but it was at par in case of lower dose of atrazine 50 % WP @ 2.0 kg ha-1 followed by ametryn 80%WP@2.0kg a.i. ha-1 .Weed management treatments recorded no significant variation on brix %, sugar % and CCS%. All the herbicide treatments recorded detrimental effect on soil microflora (total bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi) immediately after application but after their persistence period, their populations were recovered and sometimes exceeds than their initial count.
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