The fall army worm (FAW) has spread to locations at 1222 masl in the northeast region of India. In Assam, its incidence was first noticed on the two banks of the Brahmaputra. In Biswanath district, infestation on maize was observed to be of 15.2-64.3% at farmers’ field and 2.15% in Biswanath College of Agriculture campus of the Assam Agricultural University. This variation might be attributed to the rich avian diversity in the college campus. No larval parasite was observed in the field collected larvae. A large section of farmers observed high pest incidence in maize as compared to previous years.

We studied the species richness of flower-visiting Hymenoptera assemblages in two varieties of Brassica campestris var. toria: in variety TS-36 during the normal season grown in the riparian ecosystem and in variety TS-67 during the late season grown in the rice-ecosystem of Assam, India using five sampling methods. We aimed to investigate to what extent (i) the Hymenoptera assemblages in the two ecosystems differed from each other, (ii) the population densities of three dominant Apis spp. differed from each other, and (iii) the effectiveness of the sampling methods used differed from each other. In total, we recorded 64 Hymenoptera species belonging to 42 genera of 9 families in the two toria varieties. We detected the presence of all species in TS-36 grown as normal season crop in the riparian ecosystem, and the presence of 48 species in TS-67 grown in the rice ecosystem as a late season crop. Vespidae had the highest species richness, followed by Apidae, Megachilidae, and Halictidae. These visitors may contribute to the ecological resilience of the toria ecosystem through their service as pollinators as well as because they are natural enemies of the crop-pests. Transect walk methods sampled a higher number of species than observation plot method and colour traps. Apis cerana was the most abundant species, with a relative abundance of 38.5% and 37.9% in normal and late season crops, respectively. The mean abundance of all three Apis species was 11.1% higher in the later variety.

Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin has invaded NER India in 2018 and established already in many districts of lower Assam and is alarmingly spreading to new districts owing to the inadequate domestic quarantine. The pest has been detected for the first time in Biswanath district of Lower Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam in May, 2019. Variation in speed of invasion has been noticed in different zones depending on the mode of dispersal of the pest. Rainfall had no impact on short-distance dispersal of the pest. However, rainfall-deficient months of 2018 and low rainfall days of 2019 had some impact on its arrival and establishment. The pest is likely to affect the coconut economy in future. Extensive survey in the NER India for assessing crop loss due to the invasion and enforcement of strict domestic quarantine in inter-state borders are the urgent need of the hour.

Background: The North Eastern Region (NER) of India is well known for its rich biodiversity and organic cultivation; however, this is one of the least investigated regions owing to its remoteness. A field study on papaya mealybug (PMB) was conducted to know its present status in Dibrugarh district of Assam, NER India, after its first entry in 2012. Results: The pest was initially confined in urban and peri-urban localities in 2012 and has now made its entry even in remote villages too; however, many villages still remain uninfested. PMB has not damaged crops much the way it did in major papaya producing states of India. Out of 217 farmers surveyed, only 31.8% have experienced the infestation of PMB in their crops. The pest has now been recorded in places within an elevation of 98–129 m above MSL. The village homesteads help the pest establish in the ecosystem through natural host shifting. 89.9% farmers adopted either no management practices or applied non-chemical measures. We found the presence of more number of Spalgis immatures in the colonies of PMBs in hibiscus than in papaya. After the first invasion of PMB in Assam, initially it was also worried that the pest might invade tea crop and affect the tea economy of the state; however, no report on PMB infestation on tea crop has been found so far. Conclusions: The PMB has acclimatized and established itself in the crop ecosystem of Assam by natural host shifting. The trend of infestation is constant or increasing. No programme on classical biological control of PMB was taken in the farmers’ fields of the state, but there is no hue and cry situation on the crop damage by PMB. High rainfall affected the spread of the pest and predation by Spalgis sp might have resulted in reduction in population. We recorded variable abundance of S. epeus larva in PMB colonies in different host plants based on which we can formulate the bio-control module for PMB. The detailed study on the role of rainfall and natural enemies on population dynamics of PMB is a researchable issue.

Rapid assessment and management of outbreak of Rice Swarming Caterpillar by drone: a BIG need of the hour

Brassica campestris L. var. toria, a major oilseed crop cultivated in India, is primarily an entomophilic species. Hymenopteran flower-visiting species provide important ecological services like pollination or pest control in Brassica crops. In this context, a study was conducted during 2015–2017 in three localities in Assam, a state in northeast India that falls under two global biodiversity hotspots—Indo–Burma and Himalayan—to bring data on the diversity of hymenopteran flower visitors of toria crops by using multiple sampling techniques and to compare the efficiency of these techniques. Altogether, nine sampling treatments were used. To assess the sampling effectiveness of the different treatments, the data from the two cropping periods of toria in each locality were analysed cumulatively and comparatively. Variable transect outperformed the other sampling methods with the highest number of hymenopteran flower visitor species recorded in toria crops at 54, representing 84.4% of the total number of species, and was followed by standard transect (34 species, 53.1%), elevated yellow trap (22 species, 34.4%), and observation plot (21 species, 32.8%). However, the importance of multiple sampling methods in this diversity study was noticed; one method alone could not sample all the species recorded. The cluster of traps and netting with transect walks was proven to be complementary and considered useful for future research studies in the upstream basin of the Burhidihing River of Assam, India.