कीट पारिस्थितिकी एवं जनसंख्या गतिशीलता

Silicone oil forms a thin physical barrier or film over the foliar surface that suppresses water vapour loss while allowing partial CO2 diffusion.

• Feldspar: Common rock-forming aluminosilicate mineral, not used as an anti-transpirant.
• Kaolinite: White clay mineral acting as a reflecting-type anti-transpirant, not film-forming.
• Mica: Silicate mineral with no anti-transpirant application.
• Silicone oil: Forms a thin emulsion film over leaves (along with Mobileaf, wax, and hexadecanol), functioning as a film-forming anti-transpirant.

• Cycocel (CCC, Chlormequat chloride / 2-chloroethyl trimethylammonium chloride) is a synthetic plant growth retardant.
• It acts by inhibiting ent-kaurene synthetase, an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid (GA), thereby preventing internodal elongation.
• Consequently, its application leads to retardation of excessive vegetative growth, resulting in compact, sturdier plants with thickened stems that resist lodging and improve drought tolerance.
• CCC does not retard flowering or fruiting; on the contrary, by suppressing excessive vegetative sink demand, it often promotes better flowering and boll/fruit retention.

• In dryland and arid ecosystems like Rajasthan, harvesting ephemeral runoff is vital for groundwater recharge and life-saving supplemental irrigation.
• Check dams (anicut structures) constructed across drainage gullies or ephemeral streams slow down runoff velocity, trap sediments, and allow maximum water percolation into the aquifer.
• Canals and perennial rivers are conveyance systems or natural waterbodies requiring external perennial water sources, which are absent in drylands.
• Tube wells extract groundwater rather than harvest surface water. Thus, check dams are the premier watershed water harvesting structure.

• The Desert Development Programme (DDP) was launched by the Government of India during 1977-78 based on the recommendations of the National Commission on Agriculture.
• The prime objective of DDP is to minimize the adverse effect of drought and control desertification through watershed development, sand dune stabilization, and shelterbelt plantation.
• The programme covers hot arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana, as well as the cold desert regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
• Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) was started earlier in 1973-74, whereas DDP was initiated in 1977-78.