Hafeez Ahmad

Migratory Beekeeping in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Bee-keeping is a potent low investment enterprise in J&K. With its great variety of agricultural and climatic conditions and an exceptionally long season during which pollen and nectar secreting flora is available in one area or another, migration has assumed really important dimensions in commercial beekeeping. The migratory system of bee-keeping is more economical than stationary bee-keeping system as it not only helps in boosting income of the individual bee-keeper but also helps in increasing productivity of cross-pollinated crops and generates employment. The commercial bee-keepers practising migratory beekeeping use Langstroth hives and have 4–5 harvests per year with an average annual yield of approximately 50–60kg per hive. Small scale farmers generally do not move their hives and harvest 1–2 times per year (10-20kg per hive). Lack of public and private support; weak research and development; insufficient support for small beekeepers are the main constraints in promoting migratory beekeeping in the state.

Seasonal Activity and Abundance of Natural Enemies and Performance of Coccinella septempunctata on Rose Aphid, Macrosiphum rosae (Linn.)

Rose is one of the most beautiful ornamental flowers in the world, and as such it can be found in many houses and gardens in cities due to its especial characteristics such as stability, long period of floral initiation, different varieties, and, of course, its beauty. Rose as a plant is found everywhere and is cultivated widely in most parts of the world. Furthermore, cut rose flower is regarded as one of the best cash crop ornamental flowers. Rose is attacked by numerous pests; amongst them, aphids are considered as a major pest. Aphids have a very successful worldwide distribution. Their damages to plants may be direct or indirect: direct damage is due to aphids’ intense feeding on plant sap, which will wilt the plant and decrease the yield; indirect damage comes as a result of honeydew excretion and virus transmission. Excretion of honeydew promotes the growth of sooty mould on the plant surface, so photosynthesis will be disturbed and crop yield will be decreased. The rose aphid, Macrosiphum rosae (Linnaeus, 1758) is a cosmopolitan species due to the world-wide cultivation of roses (Blackman and Eastop, 2000). This aphid is the most important pest of roses and is probably native to Eurasia and International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 10 (2017) pp. 2923-2927 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Information Source Utilization Pattern of Horticulture Extension Personnel for Seeking and Dissemination of Horticultural Technology in Jammu Region of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Information serves as the cornerstone of successful socio-economic development because it plays a key role in decision making. It is the driving and sustaining force behind any development strategy. Today the real challenge is not producing and storing information, but getting people to use information. Cho (2012) affirmed that people use information to create knowledge but not just in the sense of data and facts but the form of representations that provide meaning and context for purposive action. Every rational personal needs some form of information for his/ her day to day activities. Horticultural information service contributes significantly to horticultural production. The information International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 11 (2017) pp. 3271-3277 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Screening for resistance in wheat against aphid Sitobion avenae F.

Relative resistance in wheat 10 varieties/genotypes against aphid, Sitobion avenae F. was evaluated under the field conditions at the University Research Farm, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology- Jammu, Main Campus, Chatha during rabi 2010–11 and 2011–12. A lone variety RSP-561 was found to be resistant, while, HI-1454, HI-1544, PBW-373, JAUW-584, PBW-343, DBW-17 and RAJ-3765 were moderately resistant. Others were categorized as susceptible which included HI-1500 and PBW-175 susceptible check. It was observed that leaf area had a significant negative correlation with aphid population.

Seasonal incidence and management of wheat aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.)

Experiments conducted on the seasonal incidence of Sitobion avenae F. during 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 at the University Farm of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu revealed that it was @ 2.16 aphids/shoot in the 5th standard week and reached maximum (10.04 aphids/shoot) in the 11th standard week. The maximum and minimum temperatures had positive and significant effect (r = 0.719* and r = 0.565*), while relative humidity and rainfall had negative and significant correlation (r = - 0.425* and r = - 0.462*). Imidacloprid 200SL (0.008%) was the most effective in reducing population followed by thiamethoxam 25WG (0.0125%), dimethoate 30EC (0.03%), oxy-demeton methyl 125EC (0.03%), quinalphos 25EC (0.05%), clothianidin 50WDG (0.025%), acetamiprid 20SP (0.06%), flubendiamide 480SC (0.003%) and neem seed kernel extract (NSK) (5%). The maximum yield was recorded with imidacloprid (32.65 q ha−1) followed by thiamethoxam (31.72q ha−1) and dimethoate (30.59 q ha−1). The highest cost:benefit ratio (1:24.78) was obtained with dimethoate and the lowest in flubendiamide.

Plants For Bees: Brankad: Adhatoda vasica Nees

Value to Bees The plant is entomophilous, honeybees being the dominant pollinators. Successful pollination of Moringa flowers requires large number of insects’ visitations. The flowers are visited by Hymenoptera (Apis dorsata, A. mellifera, A. cerana, Xylocopa latipes, X. pubescens, Megachile sp. and Halictus sp.), Lepidoptera (Lycaenidae, Danaidae, Papilionidae and Pieridae), Coleoptera (Coccinella spp.), and Diptera (Syrphids, House flies, etc.) (Table 1). The A. dorsata and A. mellifera forage heavily on the plant for pollen and nectar. Besides these, humming birds (Mellisuga sp.) have also been observed to be active on Moringa flowers. The Jammu and Kashmir, a major ecological unit with rich diversity is having an abundant scope for natural/organic products. The conservation and propagation of M. oleifera flora will help to develop the beekeeping activities and in turn enable beekeepers can collect surplus honey during the blooming period.

Traditional Beekeeping In Jammu And Kashmir, India

Indigenous honeybees, Apis cerana, have played a key role in enhancing agricultural productivity as they are a natural pollinators for a range of fruits and crops. The A. cerana strain of Jammu and Kashmir is not only larger but also higher honey-yielding than other counterparts. Unfortunately, A. cerana is threatened in the area as beekeepers are confronted by development extensionists trying to encourage the introduction of Apis mellifera.