Agriculture Current affair 2025

 🟢 INDIA'S FIRST IN NEWS 2024-25

🔷 Maharashtra: India's first Artificial Intelligence (AI) university to drive AI education, research, and innovation.  

🔶 Tata Steel: India's first to develop hydrogen transport pipes.  

🔷 SSI Mantra: India’s first indigenous surgical tele-robotic system.  

🔶 Pixxel: Bengaluru-based space-tech company launches India’s first private satellite constellation, named Firefly.  

🔷 Sikkim: India’s first Organic Fisheries Cluster launched.  

🔶 Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu: India’s first glass bridge over the sea inaugurated by Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin.  

🔷 Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh: India’s first Integrated Waste Management City-cum-Learning Centre, set for September 2025.  

🔶 Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh: India’s first modern self-sufficient gaushala with a Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant launched.  

🔷 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: India’s inaugural night safari being developed.

  

🔶 Leh, Ladakh: World’s first high-altitude para sports centre for para athletes to be established.  

🔷 GIFT City, Gujarat: IndiaFirst Life is the first Indian life insurer to operate here.  

🔶 RHUMI-I: World’s first mobile-launched hybrid rocket.  

🔷 Tata Asset Management Pvt. Ltd.: Launches India’s first Tourism Index Mutual Fund.  

🔶 Jharkhand: India’s first coal gasification pilot project launched.  

🔷 Kozhikode, Kerala: India’s first UNESCO 'City of Literature'.  

🔶 FWD-200B: India’s first indigenous bomber UAV aircraft, developed by Flying Wedge Defence.  

🔷 Pune, Maharashtra: India’s first Constitution Park inaugurated by Indian Army and Punit Balan Group. 

🔶 Vizhinjam Port, Kerala: Approved to operate as India’s first transshipment port, owned by the Adani Group.  

🔷 Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh: India’s first multipurpose green hydrogen pilot project (heat and power), commissioned by SJVN Limited.  

🔶 IIT Madras: Launches India’s first medical devices calibration facility on wheels.  

🔷 IRAH: Trailer for India’s first Artificial Intelligence-based Film launched.  

🔶 Jammu & Kashmir: India’s first Battery Energy Storage GigaFactory to be launched.  

🔷 Arunachal Pradesh: India’s first integrated oil palm processing unit started by 3F Oil Palm.  

🔶 Bhubaneswar, Odisha: India’s first Indoor Athletic Centre inaugurated.  

🔷 Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh: India’s first Research IIT Satellite Campus.  

🔶 Spy Satellite: India’s first, built by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), to launch on a SpaceX rocket by April.

Tomato Whitefly insect Management

Whitefly, a significant pest of tomato crops Tomato Whitefly-Bemisia tabaci Life cycle· 

Females lay up to 150 eggs each attached to the underside of younger leaves. Eggs hatch in eight to ten days. 

·Eggs hatch into a first instar nymphal stage that has legs and antennae and is mobile; travels a short distance before settling to feed on plant tissue. 

·There are four nymphal stages. The second and third instar nymphs are stationary and remain attached to the leaf surface, and have a scale-like appearance. They continue feeding until developing into the fourth and final nymphal stage. 

·The fourth nymphal instar, often called the pupa or the red-eyed nymph, is the easiest to identify. ·The active adult whitefly is largely responsible for virus spread from plant to plant. It takes 18 to 28 days from egg to adult in warm weather and 30 to 48 days in winter. 

Damage causing stages: 

Second and third instar larval stages that feed on the leaves and suck sap. 

·Adults that suck juices and transmit the virus ·The Tomato yellow leaf curl virus can be efficiently transmitted during the adult stages. This virus transmission has a short acquisition access period of 15-20 minutes, and latent period of 8-24  hours.

Tomato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a major pest that can cause severe damage to tomato crops by transmitting viral diseases and feeding on plant sap. Effective management requires an integrated approach, including chemical control with specific insecticides. Below are some highly effective insecticides along with their recommended doses:

Effective Insecticides & Doses for Whitefly Management in Tomato

Neonicotinoids

1. Imidacloprid 17.8% SL – 0.3-0.5 ml per liter of water

2. Thiamethoxam 25% WG – 0.25 g per liter of water

3. Acetamiprid 20% SP – 0.2 g per liter of water

Pyridinecarboxamides

4. Flonicamid 50% WG – 0.3 g per liter of water

Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs)

5. Buprofezin 25% SC – 1.25 ml per liter of water

6. Pyriproxyfen 10% EC – 1.0 ml per liter of water

Other Effective Insecticides

7. Spiromesifen 22.9% SC – 1.0 ml per liter of water

8. Pymetrozine 50% WG – 0.6 g per liter of water

9. Diafenthiuron 50% WP – 0.6 g per liter of water

10. Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC + Thiamethoxam 18.5% WG – 0.4 g per liter of water

Application Guidelines

• Rotate insecticides to prevent resistance development.
• Use a combination of systemic and contact insecticides for better control.
• Spray in the early morning or late evening to avoid rapid evaporation.
• Use surfactants/stickers to enhance insecticide effectiveness.
• Avoid excessive use of neonicotinoids to prevent resistance in whitefly populations.

Would you li ke recommendations on biological control options as well?

Effective Strategies for Managing Whiteflies on Tomato Plants

Whiteflies are a common pest that can severely impact tomato crops if left uncontrolled. Effective management requires an integrated approach combining cultural practices, biological controls, and, if necessary, targeted insecticide applications. Here’s a breakdown of the best strategies to keep whiteflies at bay:

1. Cultural Control

A. Sanitation

• Remove crop residues and weeds promptly to eliminate potential whitefly breeding grounds.

B. Spacing

• Plant tomatoes at least one-half mile upwind from other whitefly host plants like melons, cole crops, and cotton.

C. Timing

• Delay planting new crops as long as possible and avoid planting near infested crops.

D. Variety Selection

• Use Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV)-tolerant tomato cultivars where available.

E. Host-Free Periods

• Allow sufficient time between harvests and subsequent plantings of whitefly host crops to break the pest’s life cycle.

F. Protected Structures

• Consider growing tomatoes under greenhouses or poly-tunnels to reduce whitefly infestations.

2. Biological Control

A. Natural Enemies

• Introduce or encourage beneficial predators like predatory mites, lacewings, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps to keep whitefly populations in check.

B. Entomopathogenic Fungi

• Utilize fungi such as Beauveria bassiana or Paecilomyces fumosoroseus to target and control whiteflies biologically.

C. Yellow Sticky Traps

• Deploy yellow sticky traps to monitor and capture adult whiteflies, reducing their numbers before they can reproduce.

3. Chemical Control (Use as a Last Resort and with Caution)

A. Insecticidal Soap

• Apply insecticidal soap, focusing on the undersides of leaves, to smother both larvae and adult whiteflies.

B. Neem Oil

• Use neem oil as a natural insecticide, following label instructions carefully to prevent plant damage.

C. Systemic Insecticides

• If necessary, apply systemic insecticides like imidacloprid to the soil, ensuring adherence to label guidelines to minimize harm to beneficial insects.

D. Contact Insecticides

• Use contact insecticides such as permethrin but be mindful of their potential impact on pollinators and other beneficial insects.

E. Pesticide Rotation

1. Rotate between contact and systemic pesticides to prevent resistance development.

F. Protective Measures

• Always wear protective clothing when handling pesticides and strictly follow label instructions to ensure safety.

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