Drought stress and pathogen infection simultaneously occur in the field. In this study, the interaction of these two stresses with chickpea, their individual and combined effect and the net impact on plant growth and yield traits were systematically assessed under field and confined pot experiments. The field experiments were conducted for four consecutive years from 2014–15 to 2017–18 at different locations of India. Different irrigation regimes were maintained to impose mild to severe drought stress, and natural incidence of the pathogen was considered as pathogen stress. We observed an increased incidence of fungal diseases namely, dry root rot (DRR) caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola, black root rot (BRR) caused by Fusarium solani under severe drought stress compared to well-irrigated field condition. Similar to field experiments, pot experiments also showed severe disease symptoms of DRR and BRR in the presence of drought compared to pathogen only stress. Overall, the results from this study not only showed the impact of combined drought and DRR stress but also provided systematic data, first of its kind, for the use of researchers.

Protecting plants from herbivorous pests is crucial for ensuring higher agricultural yields and an increased food supply for the growing population. Given the concerns about pollution from toxic pesticides as well as climate change, there is a need to prioritize the development of ecologically sustainable approaches to pest management. In order to reduce the pesticide residual effect, it is crucial to develop some ecologically safe methods of herbivory control. Nano-biopesticides are newer tools in pest management that target crop pests specifically and lessen the harmful effects of chemical pesticides. These novel products could be of interest for the creation of intelligent nano-systems aiming to reduce unfavourable agricultural issues, viz. safety, security, and high productivity. This review paper provides a comprehensive view of the evolving domain of nanotechnology in crop pest management, specifically emphasizing nano-bioformulations. Examinations have been conducted by various researchers on the use of botanicals in crop pest management considering their sources and modes of action with their resources. Moving on to the worldwide context of nano-bioinsecticides, the advent of nano-botanical insecticides is discussed demonstrating the growing efficacy of nanotechnology in agricultural practices. The benefits of employing nanotechnology in the creation of plant-derived pesticide formulations become clear when one examines the requirements and development approaches for nano-bioformulations. Various types of nano-formulations, with a special emphasis on nano-emulsions, are explored elucidating the transformative insecticidal formulations designed for targeted crop protection. Insights into the intricate mechanisms of insecticidal action through nanomaterials and nano-formulations shed light on their valuable impact on beneficial insects and natural enemies. This review paper emphasized the potential of nano-bioformulations in insect pest management in a sustainable way.

An efficient analytical method was developed and validated using a modified QuEChERS method and LC-MS/MS for the detection and quantification of neonicotinoid insecticide residues in rice whole grain and rice straw. The samples were extracted using acetonitrile and cleaned up by dispersive solid-phase extraction. Validation based on five fortification levels showed good recoveries of neonicotinoids ranging from 75% to 116 % and 60% to 105 % for rice whole grain and straw, respectively. The precision ranged between 3% and 17 %, and 2% and 10 % for grain and straw, respectively. The limit of detection was from 0.007 to 0.0084 mg kg-1 and 0.005 to 0.15 mg kg-1 and the limit of quantification was in the range of 0.024-0.028 mg kg-1 and 0.016-0.051 mg kg-1 for rice whole grain and rice straw, respectively. Monitoring of farm gate samples indicated that, out of 24 samples, 1 rice whole grain sample was contaminated with thiamethoxam residues (0.07 mg kg-1).