Bamboos suffer from low shelf life because of attacks by fungi or insects mainly insect borers or termites. Traditionally, freshly cut bamboo poles were dipped in flowing water to remove starch, which attracts insects and pests or coating with oils or paint and even coal tar.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) at Sreekaryam, here, has developed a bio-pesticide for field pests from Cassava (Tapioca) and is in the process of developing a bio-fumigant for storage pests.
Mark Van Horn, director of the student farm at the University of California, is nearly lost as he walks through a yellow cloud of wild sunflowers around the edge of a field of tomatoes and sweet corn.
REFINED TECHNIQUES The Swanton Berry Farm in California.
Transgenic maize engineered to express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has become widely adopted in U.S. agriculture. In 2009, Bt maize was planted on more than 22.2 million hectares, constituting 63% of the U.S. crop.
Genetically engineered crops represent one of the most controversial and rapidly adopted technologies in the history of agriculture. First grown commercially in 1996, transgenic crops covered 135 million hectares (ha) in 25 countries during 2009.
Lantana is a rapidly growing obnoxious weed though it has potential of purposeful utilization. Preservation of bamboo during storage with the help of preservative of natural origin i.e. Lantana extract may result in saving of material.
Potato type I and II serine protease inhibitors are produced by solanaceous plants as a defense mechanism against insects and microbes. Nicotiana alata proteinase inhibitor (NaPI) is a multidomain potato type II inhibitor (pin II) that is produced at high levels in the female reproductive tissues of the ornamental tobacco, Nicotiana alata.
