The use of biostimulants has become a common practice in agriculture. However, there is little peer-reviewed research on this topic. In this study we tested, under controlled and replicated conditions, the effect of one biostimulant derived from seaweed extraction (Bio-1) and another biostimulant derived from microbial fermentation (Bio-2). This experiment utilized 2-years-old almond plants ove...

Systemic effect of two plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strains,viz., Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf4) and P. aeruginosa (Pag), was evaluated on pea (Pisum sativum) against the powdery mildew pathogen Erysiphe pisi. Foliar spray of the two PGPR strains was done on specific nodal leaves of pea and conidial germination of E. pisi was observed on other nodal leaves,distal to the treated o...

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic herb that has been used traditionally as a diverse medicinally herb for curing various diseases including common cold, headache, malaria, heart disease, stomach and kidney disorders. Its essential oil (EO) is used in the manufacturing of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products as well as aroma therapy. Keeping the medicinal as well as economical imp...

Lack of available water in arid and semi-arid regions has a negative effect on the production of soybean (Glycine max L.). Nano zinc chelate (ZnO) has the potential to alleviate this issue through overcoming zinc deficiency and thereby improve plant function. Therefore, to evaluate the effectiveness of ZnO application on soybean in drought stress conditions, a split-plot experiment based on ran...

Gibberellin influences the rest period or dormancy of seeds (4), shoots (1), and other plant parts (2, 5, 9). In potato, Solanum tuberosum, a condition of physiological rest prevails from the time of tuber initiation until 6 to 12 weeks after harvest depending on varietal characteristics (3). The rest period has been markedly curtailed by immersing freshly harvested potato tubers in gibberellin...

As a result of the decreasing availability of authorized plant protection products, adequate pest control becomes more difficult in many ornamental crops and almost no information is available about the optimization of spray application techniques in ornamental crops. Yet, spray boom systems—instead of the still predominantly used spray guns—might improve crop protection management in greenhous...

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), are important pests of corn in Brazil and have not been successfully managed, because of the difficulty of managing them with pesticides. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Bt corn MON810, transformed with a gene from Baci...

The midge Contarinia nasturtii (Keiffer), a serious gall-forming insect pest of cruciferous plants in Europe and southwestern Asia, was Þrst reported in the United States in summer 2004. It had not been recorded in North America until its discovery in Ontario, Canada, in 2000. EfÞcacy of 20 insecticides belonging to 12 different classes was evaluated by using a foliar spray, soil drench, or see...