V Bali Reddy’s scientific contributions

Eight different plant extracts were evaluated in vitro against Sclerotium rolfsii causing dry root rot in chillies. Among these, leaf extract of neem (Azadirachta indica) caused maximum inhibition of mycelial growth (80.74%), followed by periwinkle Vinca rosea (78.8%) and bottlebrush (Callistemon, 74.8%) respectively. Sclerotial production was inhibited to an extent of 11% and the inhibition caused was maximum with neem extract, followed by Polyalthia longifolia and V. rosea extracts. Though sclerotial germination was inhibited by 30% to 95% in various treatments, the most effective treatment was that of neem leaf extract (95%), followed by ginger extract (92%).

Compatibility of Trichoderma viride with 25 pesticides was evaluated in vitro. Among six seed-treatment chemicals tested, T. viride showed a high compatibility with the insecticide Imidacloprid (7.6 cm mycelial growth), followed by Mancozeb (6.3 cm) and Tebuconazole (3.7 cm). Contact fungicides, viz., Pencycuron and Propineb were found to be fully compatible with T. viride. Among the 10 herbicides also tested, the fungus was highly compatible with Imazathafir (9.0 cm) followed by 2,4-D Sodium salt (8.9 cm) and Oxyfluoforen (6.5 cm) while being totally incompatible with systemic fungicides like Carbendazim, Hexaconazole, Tebuconazole and Propiconazole.

The experiment was carried out during the year 2006. Acid lime fruits of uniform size were stored under ten different treatments and found that packing acid lime fruits with Low Density Polyethene (LDPE) was most effective in preventing the physiological loss in weight, reducing the specific gravity, percentage of juice, diameter of the fruit. LDPE packing was effective in minimizing the rate of increase in TSS, acidity, ascorbic acid, pH of the juice and spoilage. INTRODUCTION Acid lime occupies a place of considerable importance in citrus industry world wide. The use of poly-films or polythene bags as a packing material is widely practiced in some Western countries which benefit the grower, retailer and consumer. Studies have shown that pre packing of fresh produce in polythene bags helps in extending the shelf life of fruits, both at room temperature and also under cold storage. Recently plastic films have been made a significant penetration in packing of multifarious food items, along with fruits due to their multiple advantageous properties relating to transparency, moisture proofness, water resistance, gas barrier, heat, chemical and cold resistance and light interception. Therefore the experiment was conducted to develop an economical and acceptable method of packing material in order to avoid enormous wastage and to improve the marketability of acid lime fruits.