Abhishek Mukherjee, PhD
Associate Professor
Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit
Biological Sciences Division
Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih Branch
Giridih, Jharkhand
I am an ecologist and entomologist interested in studying the ecology and management of invasive weed species in natural and agricultural systems. My broad areas of interest includes: ecological niche modelling of invasive weeds, plant – pest interactions, biorational management of important pest and diseases and applications of geostatistical technique to identify spatial patterns of species distribution.
Recent papers
Application of biochar and vermicompost against the rice root‑knot nematode (Meloidogyne graminicola): an eco‑friendly approach in nematode management
Sandip Mondal · Saibal Ghosh · Abhishek Mukherjee
Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection
Meloidogyne graminicola is one of the key pests of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in irrigated and upland rice ecosystems inflicting about 20–80% yield loss. While chemical nematicides are widely used to combat this pest, they have a negative impact on the environment as well as on animal and human health. The present study evaluated the efficacy of organic amendments like biochar and vermicompost in managing M. graminicola at 0.6, 1.2, 2.5, and 5% (w/v) concentrations. Our result showed that biochar and vermicompost exudate neither exhibit any direct killing ability nor altered the infectivity of M. graminicola second-stage juveniles (J2). Second-stage juvenile hatching was, however, reduced in two higher doses (2.5% and 5%) of vermicompost exudates. Hence, applications of biochar and vermicompost could be an effective alternative to toxic chemical nematicides and recommended as eco-friendly management options against M. graminicola in rice.
Effect of biochar and vermicompost (Vermi) on hatching of second stage juveniles of M. graminicola after 10 days’ incubation of 350 eggs. The bars in the graph represent the mean ± SE of the data from six replications. Columns (n = 6) with same letter(s) indicate no statistical significance (p > 0.05) across treatments using Tukey HSD post hoc test. Numbers above letter code of each bar represent % J2 hatched of the respective treatment