Agriculture

Hit-or-miss use of chemical pesticides and benightedness on the long-term impacts of hard pesticides on plants, soil, human health, and environments in conjunction with the resurgence of cabbage butterfly are the major impediments to the production of cabbage across the globe. This study, thus, was executed to disinter the effective soft pesticides which can keep the Pieris brassicae nepalensis well below the economic injury level, minimize their resurgence or even eradicate them so as to surge the production and productivity of cabbage in Salyan district, Nepal from April to July 2022. The experiment was set down in one factorial randomized complete block design with soft pesticides: Neemix @5ml/l, Cow urine solution@ 1:10, Botanical extract fermented with cow urine (BEFCU)@1:5, Emamectin benzoate @2gm/l, Spinosad @0.3ml/l, Cypermethrin@2ml/l, and Control, were used as treatments and each treatment were replicated thrice. Mean larval population, percentage of infested leaves, average hole per infested leaves, head diameter, height, and yield of cabbage were the parameters that were documented during the entire experimental period. Spraying of soft pesticides unraveled significant sway in larval mortality as well as diminution in the damage. Zenithal reduction in the cabbage butterfly population was recorded on the application of Spinosad (80%) followed by Cypermethrin (71.29%), Emamectin benzoate (71.25%), and Neemix (67.22%). Similarly, the nadir percentage of damage on leaves was documented on the application of Spinosad and Cypermethrin followed by Emamection benzoate. Maximum head diameter (16.10 cm) and yield (23.44 Mt/ha) were obtained when cabbage was sprayed with Spinosad followed by Cypermethrin whereas minimum head diameter (13.37 cm) and yield (13.76 Mt/ha) was recorded with the control. Spinosad and Cypermethrin, thus, are superior soft pesticides for the management of cabbage butterfly relative to other treatments in Salyan district. Farmers, therefore, are suggested to exploit Spinosad and Cypermethrin for the control and management of cabbage butterfly in an attempt to boost the production and productivity of cabbage. KEY WORDS Bio-pesticides, pieris brassicae nepalensis, cabbage, spinosad, cypermethrin. Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.), is one of the important winter leafy vegetables worldwide having large production and export potential (Talekar, 2000).

Plum is a temperate stone fruit widely adapted and is by far the most diverse of all the 'Prunus' species. However, fruit and flower phenology and pomological characteristics differ among varieties. Phenological and pomological characteristics of six plum varieties ('Soldam,' 'Mirabelle,' 'Quetsche,' 'Methley,' 'Santa Rosa,' and 'Local') during September 2021-August 2022 in the fruit orchard of Temperate Horticulture Development Center, Mustang, Nepal, were studied. The phenological study revealed the Local as early and Quetsche as late among the tested varieties. However, the average flowering duration was lowest in Methley (10.6 days) and highest in Soldam (15.2 days). Linear dimensions of the fruits were maximum in Soldam and minimum in Mirabelle. The fruit shape of all the varieties was round except for Quetsche, which was elliptic. The stone share was highest in Mirabelle (7.82%) and lowest in Soldam (1.86%). The ripening index was highest for Mirabelle (29.11) and lowest for Methley (7.20). The organoleptic evaluation revealed that Soldam was the most preferred while Quetsche was the least.

In conclusion, our study showcased a significant diversity in plum varieties, with implications for orchard management and variety selection to cater to various preferences and needs in the local market and beyond.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is one of the most important vegetable crop of Nepal. Its yield and growth parameters are affected by different cultural practices. This study was conducted at Olericulture Farm of Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal during April 29 to July 9 of 2018. The field experiment was carried out in split plot design using three replications. The treatments consisted of three intra row spacing (30, 45 and 60 cm) and four different mulching materials (Silver plastic, Panicum repens, Lantana camara and bare soil). The objective of this experiment was to assess the effects of various intra-row spacings and mulching materials on growth and yield of okra. The effect of mulching materials on okra yield was found significant. The okra yield was highest (8104 kg/ha) under silver plastic mulch followed by control (5161kg/ha), Panicum repens (3901kg/ha) and Lantana camera (3701kg/ha), respectively. Silver plastic mulch enhanced the growth parameters like canopy length, plant height, leaf number, leaf length, girth and yield of okra. The spacings provided non significant effect on okra yield, however the yield of okra was highest (7295 kg/ha) under 30×30 cm spacing followed by 45×30 cm (4660 kg/ha) and 60 cm × 30 cm spacing (3703 kg/ha), respectively. Combination of silver plastic mulch along with 30 cm × 30 cm spacing provided the highest okra yield. This study suggests that farmers of the Chitwan should grow okra at spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm and under silver plastic mulch to produce higher yield.

A survey research study on farmer knowledge on Insect, pests, diseases and management practices of Maize field was undertaken in Satyawati rural municipality of Gulmi district. The study aimed to identify the level of farmer knowledge on insect, pest, disease identification and management practices.90 respondents were selected through two-stage sampling procedure. The first stage was the purposive selection of five out of the eight wards at Local level (Satyawati). In second stage, there was selection of active and contributing farmers
through simple random sampling method from each ward. A pretested semi-structured interview schedule
was employed to collect data from the respondents. MS-Excel and Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS)
software were used for data entry and analysis. Data analysis showed that farmers grow both improved and
local varieties, most of the farmer cultivate local variety (71.1%), followed by 21.1% Manakamana-3. The
reason for preferring local variety was due to their betterment for consumption and easy availability.
According to the data obtained from survey, only 1.1% of farmers could identify insects; 63.3% could identify
only some insects, which includes fall armyworms and white grub in field. Many respondents said that fall armyworm with an index 0.99 was major insects observed in maize fields, followed by white grub with an
index 0.58, stemborers with 0.54, cutworms with an index 0.37, aphids with an index 0.31. And In case of
storage condition, it includes Maize weevil with index 0.95, Angoumois Grain moth with index 0.76, Red rust flour beetle with index 0.47, and Khapra beetle with index 0.31. Deficiency 65.7% was found to be major disease observed in maize field followed by Corn ear rot in maize field of study area. Most of the farmer do not have knowledge about disease and cannot identify them. Among the respondents, 15.6% didn’t practice
management practices, and the major reason was found to be the due to lack of knowledge (87.8%). The major management practices followed by the respondent were chemical management practices, namely Emamectin
benzoate (5.7% WDG) granted by the municipality against fall armyworm. It has been found that in order to
manage storage pest and diseases Most of the farmer (73.3%) adopted only sun drying, while some (3.3%)
adopted sun drying along with neem during storage, 2.2% of the farmers were found to use chemical like zinc phosphide for rodents. Thus, farmer led
participatory research should take into considerations the farmers circumstances and preferences and develop maize varieties and provides extension services that meet farmer demands.