Phenols are major compounds produced by plant species as a peripheral stimulus or as a regulatory defense mechanism under different environmental biotic stresses. These secondary metabolites are generated from shikimic and acetic acid metabolic pathways. The aromatic benzene ring compound plays an important role in plant development, especially in the defense forefront. They provide structural integrity and support to the plants. Phenolic phytoalexins released by pathogen/arthropod-attacked or wounded plants nullify or repel organisms for the advantage of the host. The allelopathic potential of phenolic compounds is observed in both natural and managed ecosystems. The global impacts of climatic variabilities such as drought, increased carbon dioxide, or greenhouse gas emissions alter the quantitative response of plant phenols. This review primarily discusses the different aspects of phenolic interactions concerning health, antioxidant properties, and insect-plant interaction as a nexus of soil and plant relations in response to variable climatic conditions.

The excessive consumption of herbicides has gradually led to the herbicide resistance weed phenomenon. Managing herbicide resistance weeds can only be explicated by applying high-tech strategies such as artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods. We review here AI-based methods and tools against herbicide-resistant weeds. There are a few commercially available AI-based tools and technologies for controlling weed, as machine learning makes the classification process significantly easy, namely remote sensing, robotics, and spectral analysis. Although AI-based techniques make outstanding improvements against herbicide resistance weeds, there are still limited applications compared to the real potential of the methods due to the challenges. In this review, we identify the need for AI-based weed management against herbicide resistance, comparative evaluation of chemical vs. non-chemical management, advances in remote sensing, and AI technology for weed identification, mapping, and management. We anticipate the ideas will contribute as a forum for establishing and adopting proven AI-based technologies in controlling more weed species across the world.

The invasive macrophyte water hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (Pontederiaceae), was first introduced in India at the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, near Kolkata in 1889 from where they spread throughout the sub-continent. An extensive systematic survey of water bodies in and around Kolkata, India, was done for the first time to assess the natural occurrence of indigenous phytopathogenic fungi of the weed between 2014 and 2019. The study brings into light several species, along with some first reports, of naturally occurring native phytopathogenic fungi and their evolutionary-related lineages. The occurrence and frequency of pathogens varied from site to site. Around 150 fungal pathogens isolated from water hyacinth were evaluated for their disease-causing potential against the weed. The isolated fungi were identified using morphological and molecular techniques. Fusarium Link followed by Alternaria Nees were the highest and most consistently isolated genera. Seven potential fungi that caused more than 90% disease in whole plant pathogenicity bioassay were subjected to host-range evaluation against 67 plant species selected based on ecological nearness or economic significance. Among these Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (WHK-59) was found to have a narrow host range and be effective against water hyacinth. With further studies on their impact assessment, environmental viability and tolerance, few of them, especially F. oxysporum (WHK- 26, 106) may effectively reduce population growth of water hyacinth by themselves or in conjunction with other introduced biocontrol agents, including insects and other plant pathogens.

The contest between conspecific males for mating opportunities is common among different species. Many species of butterfly defend a territory for the purpose of mating. In our study, the mating and courtship behaviour of the Indian common crow butterfly Euploea core core (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) was observed, which is a widely distributed native and important pollinator. Indian common crow butterfly defends a sunspot as territory for mating. When other butterflies come near or into the territory, a non-contact aerial interaction occurs between them. The owner of the territory excludes the intruders by chasing them out. Males of this butterfly species prefer a territory characterized by sunlight at the edge of woodland or open tracks in the forest containing host plants and oviposition sites near it. Indian common crow butterfly exhibits territorial activity throughout the day but is more frequent in the afternoon. The frequency of chasing for a longer duration is very low. The duration of chasing for the conspecific male is higher than that of heterospecific males. This is the first documentation about the territorial and courtship behaviour of Indian common crow butterflies. A new distribution record for the species has been reported as well. Such studies are essential not only to understand their behavioural patterns but also to understand their needs while planning conservation efforts.