Insect pests affect plants, animals and humans. Chemical pesticides are often used indiscriminately to control these pests. But most of these pesticides are toxic and non biodegradable and have adverse effects on the environment by polluting soil and water and affecting health. Therefore, there is a need to develop suitable plant-based pesticides.
Monsanto has revealed that a common insect pest has developed resistance to its flagship genetically modified (GM) product in India. The agricultural biotechnology leader says it "detected unusual survival" of pink bollworms that fed on cotton containing the Cry1Ac gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which codes for a protein that's toxic to many insect pests.
In a setback for genetically engineered cotton, Monsanto, innovator of the strain, confirmed what sceptics had said might well happen, that the pests it was supposed to resist better than natural cotton would also innovate.
Global pollinators, like honeybees, are declining in abundance and diversity, which can adversely affect natural ecosystems and agriculture. Therefore, we tested the current hypotheses describing honeybee losses as a multifactorial syndrome, by investigating integrative effects of an infectious organism and an insecticide on honeybee health. We demonstrated that the interaction between the microsporidia Nosema and a neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) significantly weakened honeybees.
Botanical pesticides can be recommended as an ecochemical and sustainable strategy in the management of agricultural pests. Because of their biodegradable nature, systemicity after application, capacity to alter the
behaviour of target pests and favourable safety profile, it is hoped that plant-based pesticides play a significant role in achieving evergreen revolution.
TIRUCHI: Farmers should adopt latest technology and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies in onion cultivation, said G.Kathiresan, Dean, Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, here on Wednesday.
Kolar district is popular for its rich mango yield. The mangoes cultivated here are in great demand, both in the local and in the international markets. Hence, the mangoes are no wonder referred to as
Antagoistic bacteria were isolated from soil samples collected from different forest areas of Jabalpur, Mandla, Umaria and Bilaspur. One antagonistic bacteria Bacillus firmus was isolated from the soil of Belkund teak forest nursery, Kundam Project, Forest Development Corporation, Jabalpur.
