Studies on the breeding potential and entomological indices of dengue vector Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the district Ghaziabad of Uttar Pradesh, India

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

The female Aedes mosquito is a vector of many arboviruses-borne diseases. The evidence and information regarding their breeding habitats are vital for implementing appropriate control policies.

METHODS

An entomological survey was done at three sites in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India viz. Indirapuram, Vasundhara, and Vaishali to generate the first boundary line information of breeding sites of Aedes aegypti larvae for the early prevention and control interventions for dengue management.

RESULTS

A total of 2994 containers were checked in 1169 households at the time of the survey for breeding sites of Aedes mosquito during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon period, out of which 667 containers were found positive in 518 positive households. The total HI, CI, and BI were 44.31, 22.27, and 57.05 respectively. The maximum and minimum breeding indices were found during monsoon and pre-monsoon respectively. The most preferred containers for Aedes breeding were cement tanks for lotus plants in nurseries, drums, and small and large size pots for storage of water and ornamental plants mostly in 8 plant nurseries.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION

Breeding of Aedes was found in nurseries and desert coolers which were the primary breeding containers found during the survey. The containers found positive during surveys were emptied or destroyed with the help of the local community and the breeding status of nurseries was informed to the health authorities of Ghaziabad to take necessary action against the breeding sites of the Aedes mosquitoes.

Molecular Events of Rice AP2/ERF Transcription Factors

APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) is widely found in the plant kingdom and plays crucial roles in transcriptional regulation and defense response of plant growth and development. Based on the research progress related to AP2/ERF genes, this paper focuses on the classification and structural features of AP2/ERF transcription factors, reviews the roles of rice AP2/ERF genes in the regulation of growth, development and stress responses, and discusses rice breeding potential and challenges. Taken together; studies of rice AP2/ERF genes may help to elucidate and enrich the multiple molecular mechanisms of how AP2/ERF genes regulate spikelet determinacy and floral organ development, flowering time, grain size and quality, embryogenesis, root development, hormone balance, nutrient use efficiency, and biotic and abiotic response processes. This will contribute to breeding excellent rice varieties with high yield and high resistance in a green, organic manner.

Gametogenesis From the Early History Life Stages of the Kumamoto Oyster Crassostrea sikamea and Their Breeding Potential Evaluation

The Kumamoto oyster, Crassostrea sikamea, is native to Southeast Asia, including China, Japan and Korea, and is an important traditional wild fishery resource. Although this oyster’s early gametogenesis was reported in Mexico, no related research was found on the breeding potential using early forming gametes. We re-examined the gametogenesis of C. sikamea during early life history in southern China and further divided it into three phases: sex differentiation (1 month old, shell height 2–3 mm), physiological maturity (2 months old, shell height 3–5 mm) and functional maturity (3 months old, shell height 9–12 mm). The breeding potential was evaluated using four sets of gametes from parent oysters of different ages (2, 3, 6, and 15 months old). The physiologically mature gametes were not suitable for artificial hatchery due to the low production of eggs, and yielding a high deformity rate of D larvae (95.47 ± 1.25%) and heavy larval morality (90.23 ± 1.84%) post-fertilization. However, progeny from functionally mature gametes grew significantly faster than those of other age groups, with no significant differences in fertilization, hatching level or survival of progeny among them. This study clearly demonstrates that the first batch of functionally mature gametes can develop normally and produce viable progeny, suggesting that artificial hatchery of C. sikamea is completely feasible using parent oysters from 3 months old and onward. Furthermore, this hatchery method can effectively shorten the breeding cycle and accelerate the breeding process.