Stresses of Cucurbits: Current Status and Management

With advances in agro-technology, cucurbits are now being grown throughout the year. However, they are prone to biotic and abiotic stresses resulting in significant yield loss. Sustainable management of such stresses is a complex issue in the intensive cultivation of cucurbits involving high levels of fertilization and irrigation. Further, under the changing climatic conditions, pest scenarios vary constantly, with invasive alien species of pests becoming more common as a result of free trade and frequent international travel.  As such, agrochemicals are being used as powerful weapons to combat the increasing number of pests and diseases. Lack of proper crop management technologies, inaccurate diagnosis, and indiscriminate and excessive use of pesticides are major causes of pesticide resistance and resurgence, environmental pollution, and hazards to the non-target biota. This comprehensive book provides essential insights into the management of biotic and abioticstresses in cucurbit cultivation and re-evaluating the role of agrochemicals, and gathers information on insect pests, mites, nematodes, diseases and weeds, as well as on their sustainable management from scattered sources. Written in language that is easy to understand and including high-quality photographs, it is a valuable resource for students, researchers, plant protection specialists, extension workers, and growers.

Dr. Bholanath Mondal, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, has over 12 years of teaching, research and extension experience. He has honoured with Fellow of SAS Society and received Outstanding Paper Award from Department of Science & Technology, GoWB.  He is editorial board member of different journals, acted as Chief Editor of the Journal Green Technology, organized numbers of national and international conferences, and published over 55 research articles, 15 book chapters, 3 booklets, many popular articles, 5 practical manuals and 8 books. He is associated with many research projects, and has guided 6 Ph.D. scholars and 10 Master’s students for their dissertation works.  He was conferred with Young Scientist Award, Best Young Scientist Award, Rashtriya Gaurav Award and Mahatma Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution in Agriculture.

Dr. Chandan Kumar Mondal, eminent Horticulture scientist, gained a vast experience during his 15 years of service at Ramkrishna Ashram Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nimpith. He is associated with several research projects, standardized different new technologies on vegetable, fruit and plantation crops cultivation. He also attached as Guest Faculty at Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Science, University of Calcutta and guided 7 Masters’ students for their dissertation works. He published 27 research papers, developed several extension literatures, 4 books, 5 booklets and 3 book chapters. He was conferred with Best Young Scientist Award (Horticulture).

Dr. Palash Mondal, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Entomology, Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, has over 18 years of experience in teaching, research and extension. He was the recipient of Merit Scholarship of ICAR and Senior Research Fellowship of CSIR. He is a member of various scientific societies and associated with editorial board of some peer-reviewed journals. He was associated with an international project sponsored by DFID, London. Presently, a number of research projects are under his supervision. He has published 65 research papers, number of extension articles, 10 book chapters, 2 books and a handful of laboratory manuals. He has guided 9 Ph.D. scholars and 16 Master’s students in the field of agricultural Entomology.