Effect of the leaf extracts of Alstonia scholaris and Calotropis procera on infestation and damage of the fruit fly in bitter gourd was studied.

Stagnating yields, negative impact on environment, soil health and farmers' economy were some of the side effects of green revolution and provided fuel to search new and unexploited areas to ensure increased productivity through eco-friendly or evergreen farming.

A decade ago, Chandra Pradhani, a Paraja tribal of Nuaguda village in Kundra block of Odisha's Koraput district, would migrate to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to earn a living as a brick kiln worker. He no longer does this. Today, he is feted by the nation. He was one of the tribal farmers honoured by prime minister Manmohan Singh at the 99th Science Congress held in Bhubaneswar in January. It is the hard labour and traditional agricultural techniques of tribal families that have helped put Koraput on the map of world agriculture.

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

This article studies the development of the Non-Pesticidal Management Project (NPM) that emerged in the late 1980s in Andhra Pradesh's Warangal district of the semi-arid region Telengana as a response to accumulating agrarian distress, when chemical pesticides did not help to counter massive pest infestations.

Demand for effective bio-pesticides rising across the globe

Young research scholars and the scientists working on the synthesis of bio-pesticides that play a pivotal role in controlling the pests without polluting environment should make use of the funds available with the Union Government's Department of Science and Technology (DST) for their research, G.J. Samathanam, Head, Technology Development and Transfer, DST, Government of India, has said.

Rapidly emerging insecticide resistance is creating an urgent need for new active ingredients to control the adult mosquitoes that vector malaria. Biopesticides based on the spores of entomopathogenic fungi have shown considerable promise by causing very substantial mortality within 7–14 days of exposure. This mortality will generate excellent malaria control if there is a high likelihood that mosquitoes contact fungi early in their adult lives.

Note dated 31.3.2011 from the Principal Secretary to Government (RD), Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, Govt. of A.P., Hyderabad on the formulation of a new society under the Societies Act for Community Managed sustainable Agriculture initiative.

As the demand for a ban on endosulfan in India is gaining pitch, the pesticide associations are leaving no opportunity to vilify CSE for saving their US $ 100m market. CSE responds with the facts and a detailed chronology of events.

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.

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