USE OF LOCAL BIO-RESOURCES IN FARMING FOR ENHANCING THE FAMILY INCOME

Dr Harender Raj GautamPrincipal Scientist

Department of Plant Pathology, Dr.Y.S.Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan-173230, Himachal

Pradesh

Bio-resources in Disease Management

Why Bio-resources- Part of the eco-system- Climate resilient- Sustainable- Energy efficient- Non-toxic to the non-target micro-organisms and other

living organisms- No problem of toxic residues in the crop harvest- Bio-reources based bio-pesticides often decompose quickly, thereby no pollution problems.- Bio-pesticides as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can greatly decrease the use of conventional pesticides. - Essential for practicing organic farming- Eco-friendly

BIO-RESOURCES TO BIO-PESTICIDES

• Living organisms i.e. micro-organisms • Naturally occurring substances which include plant extracts and

semiochemicals e.g. insect pheromones • Genetically modified plants that express introduced genes that

confer protection against pests or diseases.• In the European Union, a bio-pesticide has been defined as "a

form of pesticide based on micro-organisms or natural products". • Bio-pesticides are pesticides derived from natural materials such

as animals, plants, bacteria, and minerals- USEPA. Bio-pesticides also include living organisms that destroy agricultural pests.

• The EPA separates bio-pesticides into three major classes based on the type of active ingredient used, namely, biochemical, plant-incorporated protectants, and microbial pesticides.

•Overall market for chemical pesticides in India is showing a decline and consumption has been reduced from 75, 000 tones to 43, 860 tones in last 20 years.

•Use of bio-pesticides in the country has increased from 123 metric tonnes in 1994-95 to 8110 metric tonnes in 2011-12 and at least 410 bio-pesticide production units had been established in India.

• In China, new developed and registered bio-pesticides are increasing at a rate of 4% each year and the market share of bio-pesticides will rise to 30%.

Botanical as Potential Alternative• Plants used in pest control from ancient times- Atharveda,

Rigveda and Vraksayurveda had mention

• Neem (Azadirachta indica) most promising

• Other promising- Ocimum sanctum, Allium cepa, A. sativum, Datura stramonium, Aegle marmelos, Lawsonia inermis, Tagetes erecta, Eucalyptus globus, Vinca rosa, Nerium odorum etc.

• Plant products oil cakes of neem, mahua, mustard, Pongamia glabra

• Oils of neem, mahua, E. globus, O. canum are used

Plants with Anti-fungal Properties used in Botanical Formulations

Vitex nigundo

Bougainvillea glabra

Ocimum sanctum

Dodonea viscosa

POTENIAL OF NEEM • 18 million trees of neem in India, produces 4,14,000 MT

seed, 85,000 MT oil and 3,30,000 MT oilcakes

• Reported to control 200 spp. of insect pests and nematodes

• Effective against more than 50 diseases

• Pesticidal properties are due to 20 complex compounds including azadirachtin, solanin, meliantrol, nimbdin, nimbin etc.

• All plant parts had pesticidal properties

• Trade of neem pesticides is more than 100 crores

FIELD FORMULATION(BASED ON BOTANICALS AND OTHER BIO-RESOURCES)

Impregnation of Trays with Botanical Formulations

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has 31 bio-control production facilities while DBT supports another 22.

• The state departments of agriculture and horticulture in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have established biocontrol laboratories. States like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh already have 200 laboratories producing bio-pesticides.

• In Tamil Nadu, adoption of biocontrol agents (e.g. Trichogramma, neem), conventional pesticide use has fallen by 50 percent on average. Incomes of the farmers have increased by Rs 1 000-1 250/ha, and rice yields have increased by 250 kg/ha.

• Extensive efforts have been made at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar; IARI, New Delhi and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore to develop biopesticides for management of pests and diseases.

• There are around 38 such SBCLs across the country, which are engaged in production and distribution of natural predators and parasites to farmers.

• The National Farmer Policy 2007 has strongly recommended the promotion of bio-pesticides for increasing agricultural production, sustaining the health of farmers and environment.

• In India by 2013, there were approximately 400 registered bio-pesticide active ingredients and over 1250 actively registered bio-pesticide products.

• There are at least 32 commercial companies active in bio-pesticide production, with an additional 32 IPM centres under the Ministry of Agriculture also producing selected bio-control agents.

• Project Directorate of Biological Control at Bangalore now known as National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects (NBAII) was established.

• Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, Government of India established the National Bio-control Network Programme (NBNP) in 1989 to study the management of key insect pests, diseases and weed of economically important crops viz. cotton, sugarcane, oilseeds, pulses, vegetables and fruit crops. Since 1989, over 200 projects have been funded. The DBT has dedicated a website for Bio-control strategies for eco-friendly pest management (www.dbtbiopesticides.nic.in).

OPPORTUNITIES

• The global market for biopesticides was valued at US $1.3 billion in 2011, and it is expected to reach US $3.2 billion by 2017.

• Increasing demand for residue-free crop produce is one of the key drivers of the biopesticide market.

• Growing organic food market and easier registration than chemical pesticides are other important driving factors for the growing biopesticide market.

• The area under organic cultivation (crops) in India is estimated to be around 1,00,000 hectare.

• Besides, there are lakhs of hectare of forest area being certified as organic. • Further, some states like Uttaranchal and Sikkim have declared their states as organic.• Area under organic crop cultivation may rise because of the growing demand of

organic food, a result of increasing health consciousness among the people. • India offers plenty of scope in terms of sources for natural biological control organisms

as well as natural plant based pesticides due to its rich biodiversity . • The rich traditional knowledge base available with the highly diverse indigenous

communities in India may provide valuable clues for developing newer and effective biopesticide.

• Increasing emphasis on organic farming and on residue free commodities would certainly warrant increased adoption of biopesticides by the farmers.