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The toxicity of plant lectins to insects after oral ingestion was investigated by incorporating the proteins into insect diets. Bioassays carried out using an artificial diet system demonstrated that kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) lectin (PHA) caused a significant decrease in survival of larvae of the tomato moth, Lacanobia oleracea. Jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) lectin (jacalin) and black mulberry (Morus nigra) lectin both caused a significant decrease in growth of the peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae) when compared to controls in an artificial diet based bioassay. Interactions of lectins with insect gut tissues in vivo were studied by immunolocalisation. Binding of the snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin;GNA) and jack bean (Canavalia ensifomiis) lectin (Concanavalin A; Con-A) to the digestive tract of L oleracea larvae was observed and localised at the electron microscope level after oral ingestion of the proteins. GNA was also observed to bind to the midgut of the two-spot ladybird Adalia bipunctata. No disruption of the brush border membrane of either L oleracea or A. bipunctata was observed. Binding of GNA to the peritrophic membrane of L. oleracea was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Histological evidence of lectin binding to insect guts in vivo was corroborated by in vitro studies, which showed that the lectins GNA and Con- A bind to sections of the digestive tract of L. oleracea larvae. Binding of Con-A to proteins from brush border membranes, solubilised brush border membranes and peritrophic membranes was also observed. The use of confocal microscopy showed that GNA bound to the midgut and haemocytes of the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae, both when incubated with isolated tissues and cells and when fed orally to live insects, providing evidence for transport of GNA across the gut wall. Larvae of L.oleracea fed the lectins GNA and PHA showed a significant increase in polyphenoloxidase levels within the haemolymph, suggesting that the lectins were causing systemic responses in the insects. A partial sequence for leucine aminopeptidase a potential receptor for lectin binding was obtained from a cDNA library constructed from the midgut of the tomato moth larvae.

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Rice accounts for 21% of the total energy content of the world's food and about 40% of the world's population depend on it. Nitrogen fertilization, mainly as urea, has played a major role in increasing rice production. But the fertilizer use efficiency is low. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to understand the effect of floodwater algae and green manure on the transformations of labelled urea applied to floodwater. The pertinent literature was reviewed. The experiments were carried out in the growth chamber using 4 to 5 cm soil columns covered with 4 to 5 cm floodwater. Algae growing in floodwater increased the pH of floodwater during the day and it cane back to its original level during the night. The magnitude of the daily increase in pH was influenced by the alkalinity and the pH of the floodwater. The application of green manure depressed this daily increase in floodwater pH. The production of 02 during photosynthetic activity increased the depth of the aerobic soil layer under the soil-water interface during the early period of algal growth but it was eliminated by subsequent settling of algae on the soil surface. The application of green manure eliminated the aerobic soil layer even in the presence of algae. Algae growing in floodwater increased urea hydrolysis. Large quantities of applied N assimilated by growing algae resulted in lower total gaseous losses of applied N. The application of urea in floodwater where algae was already growing enhanced NH3 volatilization and denitrification. A large portion of N assimilated by algae can mineralize and be available to the same crop and this mineralization is further enhanced by the exclusion of light by the crop canopy. When urea was applied 17 days after incorporation of green manure it increased urea hydrolysis significantly but urea hydrolysis was not effected when urea was applied immediately after incorporation. Application of green manure caused less nitrification and subsequent denitrification which encouraged NH3 volatilization. Further investigation is needed to confirm these findings when growing rice plants are present.

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