In the present study an indigenous biopesticide formulation (BPF) comprising easily accessible botanicals along with cow urine, was evaluated for its efficacy against insect pests of tomato crop under field. BPF gave promising results in controlling tomato fruit borers and afforded substantial yield of the produce. The BPF treatment could control 70–80% of fruit borers compared to check plots, resulting in enhanced fruit yield of 35 tonnes/ha as compared to 15 tonnes/ha
in the check plots. The main aim of this study was to reduce the load of synthetic chemical pesticides and

Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae), popularly known as neem, is a wellrecognized tree. Despite its insecticidal properties, neem in the Indian subcontinent is known to be infested by insect pests. In November 2009, mature neem trees in the village of Bhauli, Bakshi ka Talab, Lucknow, started defoliating and soon consumed the entire leaves. This attracted the attention of researchers, as it had hitherto not been observed. Observations revealed a lepidopteran to be the cause of this.

In Uttarakhand Himalaya traditional agriculture is the mere way to meet the subsistence needs of the local farming communities. In traditional system of agriculture, local seed material of traditional crop varieties plays an important role for crop production. In such a situation, the protection of seed material and its conservation for future needs is also of very paramount importance. In order to protect the seed material and food grains, local practices by using indigenous plant material and other articles are very useful, eco-friendly and sustainable.

Nature is kind enough to create human beings after all its other creation so that we can enjoy and live happily and
easily. But owing to our memory and thinking capacities, we became selfish and lazy and wanted to have everything for

Farmers Diary - Recalling biodiversity, farming the Agnihotra way. Homa farming is a system which comes from ancient science of Vedas. Homa is a Sanskrit word used here synonymously with Yajnya. Yajnya is the technical term from the Vedic science of bio energy denoting the process of removing the toxic conditions of the atmosphere through the

Owls are natural predators of rodents, of which seven species are agriculturally important pests. Conserving owls will not only result in better rodent control preventing huge crop losses, but will also prevent indiscriminate chemical use, thus preserving the ecological diversity. Educational programs will go a long way in achieving this.

This note has reference to the correspondence: ‘Bt cotton: refuge in mixed bag’ by Muralimohan and Srinivasa. In fact, their article itself was in response to an earlier correspondence entitled ‘Bt resistance in Helicoverpa species: Indian policy needs urgent revision’ by Hanur, in which the author has advocated ‘refuge in mixed bag’. Since Muralimohan and Srinivasa have raised certain concerns and opined against the use of ‘mixed bag’, I have made an attempt to address their concerns, clarify certain doubts and
also explain the need for this approach.(Correspondence)

Questions have been raised about the transparency and scientific quality of regulatory processes applied in the first open field releases of genetically modified (GM) insects, and there is concern that inappropriate precedents have been set, particularly through generic risk assessments covering multiple species and technologies.

After many years of open discussion and development, the first genetically modified (GM) insect strains are entering field trials. A key engineered trait renders the insects “genetically sterile”, such that some or all of their offspring die; the insects additionally carry a fluorescent marker gene for easy identification. Such “genetic sterility” transgenes (in genetic terms, conditional dominant lethal genes) are not able to establish or spread in the wild due to their high fitness cost; such self-limiting strategies are widely viewed as the lowest risk category.