Have you ever paid attention to the tiny little creatures like crickets and bees roaming around ticking & buzzing in the fields?
They appear to be busy in their own world and own way. But we have no idea, that their activities are linked to us. They can be our friends and at the same time can be our foes.
We enjoy the sweet honey from honeybees, the beauty of the butterfly mesmerizes us, we admire the silkiness of silk given us by silkworms but at the same time, we suffer from dreadful consequences when these creatures feed on our harvest.
CONTENT
Pest
Pesticides
harmful effects of pesticide
Bio pest control
Selecting the best natural friend
Types of biocontrol
PEST
In addition to climatic factors and natural calamities, pests are one of the most common reasons for crop failure. Crop loss due to pests is an unfortunate and unpleasant occurrence in a farmer's life.
All those creatures that harm our crops & cause us financial losses are known as pests. Some common examples of pests are grasshopper, thrips, bugs, and beetles. These pests reproduce rapidly and in large/numerous numbers. They undergo various morphological changes during their life cycle & each phase is detrimental to crops.#biocontrol
These pests lay eggs in the leaves, soil, fruits, or other parts of the plant. After the eggs hatch the larvae or nymphs emerge. They start feeding indiscriminately. So they feed on our crops. They cause less trouble under ETL (Economic threshold level) but when their population abruptly increases, becomes a problem causing economic losses. And to avoid this scenario we need to do pest control.
PESTICIDES
The quickest method of pest control is using pesticides. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, etc. Pesticides are composed of chemical compounds synthesized in laboratories. These pesticides are fatal for pests but they do not guarantee the safety of non-pests, the environment & consumers.
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES
● Dangerous for living organisms in the soil, threatening soil ecology.
● Contaminates groundwater.
● Contaminates the harvest.
● Adverse effects on human health.
● Non-ecofriendly
-Current status of bio pest control in India
-Future prospect of bio pest control in india
BIO PEST CONTROL
The negative consequences of pesticides overweigh the positive effects and there is a need to stop its indiscriminate use. When we look deeply into the ecosystem we find natural solutions for this man-made trouble too. Bio pest control is that solution. Nature's remedy for pests.
When you are helpless against your enemy, then find & join hands with the enemy’s enemy. These enemy’s enemies are predators/natural enemies of pests which check their population in control. The method of pest control using natural enemies is called biological pest control.
SELECTING THE BEST NATURAL ENEMY
The natural enemies of insect pests are- predators and parasitoids.
PREDATORS:-These are the free-living insects that feed on other insects. Dragonflies, Beetles, HOVERFLIES larvae, ladybugs are some common examples of predators.
PARASITOIDS:- These are species that infest their host, its immature stage develops on or within a single insect host, & the ultimately kill the host at mature stage. Bracon Cushman, Leptomastix dactylic, Cryptochaetum iceryae are some common examples of parasitoids.
The most effective characteristics of a natural enemy are-
high reproductive rate
good searching ability
host specificity
adaptability to different environmental conditions
and synchronization with its host.
TYPES OF BIOCONTROL
There are three types of biocontrol.
1)CONSERVATION BIOCONTROL
In this type of biocontrol, we try to conserve the natural enemies present in nature itself. Natural enemies are present all around us from gardens to the fields. In place of using insecticides that are expensive and harmful, these natural enemies can help us kill pests naturally.
During the cropping season, the heavy use of pesticides must be avoided. The chemicals that harm the natural enemies shouldn't be used. Natural enemies require food, pollen, and nectar. Therefore, the flowers of the crop for a short time fulfill their requirements, some flowering plants should be grown across the fields. During overwintering, we need to provide them a favorable environment for their survival. Winter crops or cover crops shelter them during winters.
These methods ensure the conservation of natural enemies.
2)CLASSIC BIOCONTROL
In classic biocontrol, exotic species of natural enemies are introduced in the country. This method is not fully efficient because it is not always successful due to the inability of adapting to the species in the local environment. But once the method works it is highly effective.
When the pest infestation increases due to the decrease in a number of their natural enemies, a new exotic species of the natural enemy is introduced.
Some examples are ladybird predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, exotic aphelinid parasitoid, Aphelinus mali.
3)AUGMENTATIVE BIOCONTROL
In this method, the natural enemies are released either during the critical time of the season i.e inoculative release or they are released in large numbers i.e inundative release. Additionally, we can manipulate the habitat by altering the cropping system.
In this method, the natural enemies are reproduced for releasing them in the field for biocontrol. Various companies supply natural enemies, as the breeding of these natural enemies takes a lot of time and effort.
CURRENT STATUS OF USE OF BIOCONTROL IN INDIA
In India, most farmers rely on pesticides for pest control. In India, biological control needs more support than it receives at present. In crops like sugarcane, rice, cotton, apple, tomato Trichogrammatids is used; & in tobacco, cotton, vegetable chrysopids are used, and in fruit crops, coccinellid can be used as they have been found successful in biological control attempts in India.
FUTURE PROSPECTS OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL IN INDIA .
Biocontrol is the most effective alternative for pest control. In the future, the demand for biopesticide is imminent. The use of pesticides is not only harmful to ecology but with time the pest develops immunity to the pesticides. Therefore the use of biocontrol should be preferred over pesticides.
India has a huge biodiversity. We should focus on identifying the biopesticides that would help in pest control. India should focus on developing its own biocontrol agents which would be cost-effective and more efficient.
CONCLUSION
Bio pest control is a natural, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method of pest control. By adopting the method of bio-control, we can control the damage caused by pests and ensure the protection of our environment. Though one cannot deny that the use of pesticides is easier. But if we try to widen our point of view, we can see the damage it costs to everyone. The groundwater of Several areas has already intoxicated with blind eye use of these chemicals and non-visible intruding of these chemicals into our food cycle is imminent and soil health is on the verge of collapse towards unhealthy for production. So it is the time before it is too late to recover back.
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