Damage begins after a female bores a hole in the berry and builds a gallery in the seed where eggs are deposited. After hatching, the larvae start consuming the seed [1]. Feeding by adults and larvae can turn the bean into a dusty mass of frass, but even lightly bored beans have a distinctive blue-green staining which lowers quality. The galleries allow pathogens to enter, leading to fermentati...

To evaluate the effect of residue of sulfonylurea herbicides and  wheat residues on the growth and yield of sunflower, a split factorial experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications at the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. The treatments included with and without wheat residues from the tested farm as the main plots, a...

Genome integrity is crucial for cellular survival and the faithful transmission of genetic information. The eukaryotic cellular response to DNA damage is orchestrated by the DNA damage checkpoint kinases ATAXIA TELANGIECTASIA MUTATED (ATM) and ATM AND RAD3-RELATED (ATR). Here we identify important physiological roles for these sensor kinases in control of seed germination. We demonstrate that d...

The European vines pale swallowwort and black swallowwort are invading various habitats in northeastern North America. It is unclear how these plants might respond to potential biological control agents, as they experience little herbivore damage in North America, or longer durations of mowing given the reported lack of efficacy of mechanical control. We evaluated the effect of six seasons of a...

Here, we show how the mechanical properties of a thick-shelled tropical seed are adapted to permit them to germinate while preventing their predation. The seed has evolved a complex heterogeneous microstructure resulting in hardness, stiffness and fracture toughness values that place the structure at the intersection of these competing selective constraints. Analyses of different damage mechani...

For controlling stemfly (Opheoniyia phaseoli) and pod borers (Helicoverpa armigera & Maruca vitrata of mungbean insecticides Carbofuran, Carbosulfan, and Phenyl Pyrazol were applied as seed treatment and soil application during kharif II season (August to December) in 2004 and 2005 at Burirhat, Rangpnr. In two years, stemfly infested 86.67-93.33 percent rnunghean plants and caused 26.90-27.09 p...

Pre-dispersal seed predation can greatly reduce crop size affecting recruitment success. In addition, non-fatal damage by seed predators may allow infection by fungi responsible for post-dispersal seed losses. The objectives of this study were (1) to quantify pre-dispersal seed predation and fungal infection in a Neotropical tree species, Luehea seemannii, that produces dehiscent fruits and win...

Lesquerella, Physaria fendleri (A. Gray) S. Watson, is a mustard native to the western United States and is currently being developed as a commercial source of valuable hydroxy fatty acids that can be used in a number of industrial applications, including biolubricants, biofuel additives, motor oils, resins, waxes, nylons, plastics, corrosion inhibitors, cosmetics, and coatings. The plant is cu...

A three-year survey of kudzu foliage, seed, stems, and roots for associated phytophagous insects was conducted to establish basic information about the insect communities that kudzu harbors in China and to assess the abundance, diversity and damage caused by these insects. Diseases of kudzu were also surveyed in southern China. A total of 116 phytophagous insect species in 31 families and 5 ord...