Agricultural 

chemicals are used by farmers to maintain and treat their crops from possible risks
of welting, drying up, and infestations of pests and insects. Agricultural chemicals that have long
been used by farmers are the fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides.
These chemicals have aided farmers for a healthier and abundant harvest.
Fertilizers are plant’s growth and development enhancers. It is sprayed or sprinkled over plants.
It contains nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. Along with those chemicals are some
nutrients needed by the plants to grow. 
Herbicides are chemicals used to eliminate other plants that hinder the growth and development
of the main plants. These plants are specifically weeds. When sprinkled or sprayed with
herbicides, weeds will easy dry up and die. Weeds do not just disappear after cutting them off
the ground. After some time it will grow back. But with herbicides, it will take more time for them
to grow again. And sometimes they will never grow back on the same spot.
Insecticides are chemicals used to kill or ward off insects that feed on the plants. But there are
issues regarding this chemical because certain types of insecticides contaminate vegetables,
which is very dangerous when eaten by humans. There were also cases when humans inhale
insecticides, it m ay cause illnesses in the respiratory system.
Pesticides are chemicals used by farmers to kill pests such as rats, mites, birds, snails, bacteria
from eating and destroying their crops. Normally these chemicals appear like foods in the eyes
of these pests. And by eating those chemicals, those pests eventually die.
Those are just some of the chemicals you may be selling once you enter the agricultural
chemicals retail business. You may start building your agricultural chemicals business by getting
to know the products or the chemicals themselves. This means learning their effects,
ingredients, and usage instructions. It is also best if you find agricultural chemicals suppliers or
creators so that you will not have to worry where you can get your materials. You also might
want to have your store known to many farmers and agriculturists so that you can have more
clients.
You must have a separate location for this business since you will be handlingchemicals, which
must be out of reach of children because it is poisonous and can be deadly when swallowed or
played with. These chemicals also have to be stored in a specified temperature that is why you
must have a specialized container or cabinet for your products.
If your location is situated in the city, you just have to create different promotional steps for your
business. Advertise by using informative brochures, fliers, posters, and even commercial ads in
television and radio. You need to do all the steps possible in order for you to reach farmers and
planters in the rural areas.
But if you do not want to worry about building your name and reputation, you may just go for
franchising. That way you have lesser efforts in letting the people familiarize themselves with
your business. You will even get all the support you might need from the company.
Now you already know how to start an agricultural chemical retail business. It is easier for you to
go about the matters in your business and still have the great chance of success.
P lant protection chemicals include chemical materials and their formulations protecting

theplants and agricultural crops from all kinds of diseases, pests and weeds. If plant
protectionchemicals are not used in agricultural protection today, the crop yield results in a loss of
nearly %65. For this reason, it is highly important for farmers to know the plant
protection chemicals well, and have enough information about the applications, mixing and storing
techniques of these chemicals.
Plant protection chemicals can be classified in various ways;

As per physical conditions:

They can be classified into two groups as;
 Solid Formulations
 Liquid Formulations
In accordance with the formulation type, solid formulations can
beclassified as:
 Powder formulations
 Dry seed treating formulations,
 Qettable powder formulations
 Granule formulations
In accordance with the formulation type, liquid formulations can
beclassified as:
 Emulsifiable formulations
 Aolutions and liquid dips
 Aummer oil and winter oil
 Flowable concentrate or suspension concentrate formulations
 Liquid formulations that can be used without being diluted
Although it seems easy to prepare the chemicals for application, the process can affect
the successof the application if necessary care is not given.

While preparing the solid formulations for application, the

procedure is as follows;
Bin of the spraying tool is filled with the water at the rate of 1/3 (three for one). Chemical in an
enough amount is put to a clean tin, bucket or to a plastic container. Some water is added to
thechemical and this mixture is emulsified through stirring with a clean stick. With this process,
the whole of the chemical particles are damped with water. After that step, the water is added to
the emulsion with constant stirring. This process goes on till the water level reaches up to the
middle level of the container. This mixture is immediately added to the water inside the bin of
the tool. Then, while stirring the emulsion, the water is added till the water level reaches up to the
top level of the bin.
While preparing the liquid formulations for application, the
procedure is as follows;
Bin of the spraying tool is filled with the water in the rate of 1/3 (three for one). Water in an
amount of half of the container is added to a clean tin, bucket or to
a plastic container. Liquid chemicals in an enough amount is added to this water. By stirring this
emulsion, a mixture is obtained. The following procedure is similar with the one in solid
formulations. The prepared chemical mixtures should be applied immediately.
It is dangerous to take a break for eating, smoking or resting, because some deterioration can be
seen in chemical as per the pH and toughness of the used water. If there are two living factors
harmful for the plant, it will be both time-efficient and cost efficient to use the chemicals together
by mixing them instead of using them seperately. However it is important to be careful by choosing
thechemicals to be mixed with each other should have same formulation type generally.

Consult agricultural organizations if needed

The first thing to do while choosing the chemicals is reading the labels of the chemicals. One can
find some information about the mixing cases of the chemicals with other chemicals on the labels. If
the label information is not enough, the information can be got from chemical mixture schemes. If
there is not enough information on chemical mixture schemes, it will be useful to consult
agricultural organizations.
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A griculture has seen a drastic growth in the last few decades. Each and

every country across the globe has given importance to agriculture by introducing

agricultural activities in school and in many other private institutions.
These activities play a vital role in agricultural values among human being.
Agricultural fertilizing involves mainly conservation of natural resources. Every human
being should be aware of the natural resources available in their country and should
play an important role in protecting it for the future.

Agriculture with modern trend

Agricultural Fertilizers
Agriculture, in the last few decades with the help of modern technology has shown
significant improvement resulting in growth of many agro based companies. Modern
agriculture not only involves farmers but also scientists who research on the soil and
other ingredients which are helpful for fertilizing. Fertilizers can be either Organic or
Inorganic.  These fertilizers are of different shape and size. Most typical form of fertilizer
is powder form that is granular form. There are many fertilizers which are which are in
liquid form. Depending on the climatic conditions and the type of plant/farm
appropriate fertilizer can be used.
Inorganic fertilizers are not being preferred by farmers as it does not contain enough
natural nutrients. With the help of modern technology scientists have proved that usage
of organic fertilizers have no harm to the farm. These inorganic fertilizers contain worm,
manure, guano, etc.
Inorganic fertilizers mainly consist of ammonia. Nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers are
the other most commonly used fertilizers across the globe.

Problems with fertilizers:

 Mountain Fertilizing
Even though agricultural fertilizers are being used to protect farm, there are instances
that these fertilizers can be harmful. One major problem is that these fertilizers cannot
replace the natural ingredient available in soil. There are few crops which require
natural substances like zinc, copper, iron etc in soil. These natural substances in soil
cannot be replaced by any fertilizer. The other major problem farmers face is the over
fertilization.

A Tractor
Agriculture fertilizing in summer is a common activity being followed by most of the
farmers across the globe. Even though this agriculture fertilizing in summer involves
many artificial fertilizers it is being widely used because of its capability to improve
productivity.
Similar to fertilizers, agricultural fertilizersare also of 2 types: Organic agricultural
fertilizers and Inorganic agricultural fertilizers. One of the main reason people have
started to use these agricultural fertilizers is to increase their productivity. With the
blended mixture available farmers are able to achieve their productivity and also able to
sustain in this competitive market. Scientists across the globe have helped the farmers
by inventing new fertilizers which can act as an alternate to many natural fertilizers.
Not everyone will be able to master in this agro business. There are many scientists
who havededicated their entire life for agro industry. Most of the organic fertilizer
sources come from animal, plant or mineral. Agricultural fertilizers are of different types
and depending on the climatic condition you can choose the type of product for your
farm. It is each and every one’s responsibility to take care of the natural minerals. With
the emission of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide to earth’s atmosphere there are
many objections across the globe by farmers on not to use artificial fertilizers. Other
major problems faced by farmers are pests which occur when nitrogen fertilizers are
overused. However, scientists are working hard to mitigate these problems.
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copper
Minimizing fertilizer usage using Toro drip
irrigation
2 CO MM EN TS
T he major aim of any management occupation is to use minimum effort and

minimum products to increase the yield of the goods that are manufactured. This law
applies well for the agriculture field also. The agricultural products that are cultivated
such as crops, fruits, vegetables, etc, should be cultivated in such a way so that they
utilize very minimum amount of water and fertilizers for their growth. This was
implemented only after the advent of the Drip irrigation systems, which was marketed
by the Toro Drip Irrigation Company. This is the trustworthiest product that any farmer
can use. They are completely reliable and are easy to use and are not harmful to the
plants that they are used on.

What is Drip irrigation?

Battellepicture
Drip irrigation technique is one of the most commonly used and effective technique to
conserve water and to provide correct irrigation and equal amount of irrigation of water
and other subsidiary products which are necessary for the growth of the crop or fruit or
vegetable. There are many varieties of using this irrigation system. We could place some
nozzle type arrangements near each plant in the field, which is then connected to a
common pipeline, which provides the correct water in the fields. These products help us
to wet the regions only near the plants and not all over the field.
How does this prevent soil erosion?
Soil erosion is one of the common problems in the conventional method of irrigation of
the plants in the field. Then a large current of water is allowed to flow through the fields,
the water ruses and takes all the

Multi_Xeri-Bug
nutrients and the loose humus topsoil from the fields. This soil is very important and is
very rich in minerals and nutrients that are essential for the growth of the crop. But
when the drip irrigation technique is used, a controlled flow of water is achieved. Toro
Drip Irrigation can also be useful in controlling the place where the water should be
irrigated. This can maintain good humus in the soil, which increases the growth of the
plants, and therefore we can achieve a good increase in the plants productivity. Also we
can be able to re use the field soon after the harvest is over, as any water does not wash
the humus content away. The Toro Drip Irrigation Company uses these types of
products in many parts of the world.

The problem of pests on agricultural crops were known to man since adoption of crop husbandry in a
systematic way. This awareness f problem led methods for their control. The current annual loss due to
insect, pests and diseases in the agricultural sector is around Rs.15,000 crore and over 20 million man
days are lost due to the vector borne diseases. The country is in no position to accept the loss of food
grain caused by pests in the agricultural fields as well as the damage caused to stored grain of which
losses by insects and pests are of most economic importance. Chemical means of plant protection
occupy the leading place as regards their total volume of application in integrated pests management and
diseases of plants. But pesticides cause toxicity to humans and warm-blooded animals. Therefore, there
is a need to develop biopesticides which are effective, biodegradable and do not leave any harmful effect
on environment.

Agriculture is the back-bone of Indian economy. Upto 70% of the population is engaged in farm sector
directly or indirectly. Growing Indian population needs sufficient farm produce. Farming and the
agriculture crops are susceptible t attacks by various kinds of pests in form of insects, fungus, bacteria or
virus or weeds and control of these has become necessary to reduce losses to a minimum.

Heavy use of synthetic chemicals for pest control started from 1940s. Till then we were using natural
insecticides namely rotenone from the roots of derris plant, and pyrethrum from the flower heads of a
species of chrysanthemum.

After twenty years it was found that the level of synthetic pesticides were building and were not
biodegradable and their harmful effects started coming out.

A study of the pesticides-use pattern in the country has revealed that cotton, which accounts for just 5 per
cent of the cropped area, consumes about 52 to 55 percent of the pesticides. Rice grown over 24 per cent
of the cropped area uses about 18 per cent, vegetables raised over 3 per cent area, about 14 per cent
plantation crops covering 2 per cent of the area, 8 per cent and cereals, millets and oilseeds extending
over 58 per cent of the area, 7 per cent. Sugarcane uses 2 per cent of pesticides and other crops grown
over 6 per cent of the cropped area account for another 2 per cent. The per hectare consumption of
pesticides in the country is far lower than that in some of the developed countries. But the number of
chemicals that are sold in the country and the indiscriminate use of plant protection chemicals are matter
of grave concern.

The first chapter describes the relevance of this study with supporting data. Although, demand for
pesticides will continue to grow for agricultural production cannot be cut down but alternatives will have to
be developed before pesticides targets human beings.

Indian agricultural strategy from mid-sixties has been mainly on fertilisers, irrigation and use of high
yielding varieties. But the farmers ignore adopting some essential crop husbandry practices in crop
production, as for example, non-adoption of pre-monsoon ploughing, synchronising sowing dates,
rogueing, crop rotation and seed dressing. Other practices like growing continuous cropping, ratooning,
growing alternate host crops in the same field year after year, excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers and
excess irrigation are still continuing which are aggravating pest problems. Farmers can achieve more than
80% relief from pest problems, if they strictly adopt cultural practices and seed treatment with
agrochemicals. Seed treatment helps protect crops from seed and soil-borne pests in the early phase
during and after germination.

This is not only cost-effective but also ensures optimum plant population per unit area and higher yields.
For instance, wheat seeds treated with vitavax/bavistin @ 2 g/kg and 20 ml. Neem oil/Neem rich-I
reduces loose smut infection upto 98%. Similarly, sorghum and pulses seeds treated with
monocrotoophos @ 4 ml/kg. and 20 ml nedm oil/neem rich-I of seed reduces shootfly and stemfly
incidence by 95%. Pre-monsoon ploughing helps reduce soil pest population through exposure to sun
and predator birds. Bajra intercrop in groundnut helps reducing the incidence of leaf minor and sorghum
bean combination helps in curbing the stem borer in sorghum and aphids in bean.
A chapter describes the pests, pesticides and various classifications used to understand chemical
pesticides with respect to their target or with respect to their activities. Essential components of pests
management and pesticides management are described briefly.

Pesticides management has become very important and they should only be applied when either cultural
or biological control means may not be effective or pests population have reached to a high level. Other
components like presentation, cooperative efforts, rotation of crops, timing of sowing have been
mentioned which all form the overall control scenario. Changing pests scenario with respect to
environment, pesticides have been discussed.

To make out necessity for biological control, some of the harmful effects, so far noticed have been
compiled including build up of BHC, DDT residue. The report of various agencies have been included to
emphasize the need for biological control. The chapter also contains average dietary intake of DDT and
BHC residues in various countries (expressed as mg/person/day).

Biopesticides are the use of biocontrol agents, normally the chemicals which have been produced by
plants or organisms which feed on the pests or use them as a substrate to grow and nourish on them.
The biochemicals act as toxic agent to pests check the growth of pests and in process themselves get
degraded and in due course of leave not much harmful effect on plants or human beings or environment.
Various types of organisms which act as pesticide have been classified into parasitoids, predators,
pathogens. They help in maintaining another organisms’ population at lower density than would occur in
their absence.

Chemicals produced by biological activities like terpines and sterols can be extracted from marine flora
and have been found to be toxic. Some of the organisms can be used as pesticides. Thus, a vast array of
chemicals or natural resources are available for regulated control of pests management and economic
forest management. Switching over to biologically produced chemicals will be ecofriendly as well as
conserve the non available petroleum and energy resources.

In India, the neem plant has been in use from the first century BC for medicinal purposes and control of
certain diseases. Since then, it had been used in various ways to protect greenery. It has been found that
chemicals extracted out of their seeds and seed kernels are effective bio-pesticides. This has been
verified by various field trials and India has got a potential of about 6.0 million tonne of neem seeds per
year and potential to produce upto one lakh tonne of neem oi. The neem products are competitive in
prices and quality. As a result of the extensive research all over the world, neem based products have
been formulated and are in the market. To name a few, Margosn O and Bioneem developed by W.R.
Grace International Co., Philadelphia, USA, and Azation and Turplex developed by Agri Dyne
Technologies, Salt Lake City, USA, are being marketed after registering with Environmental Protection
Agency, USA. Neem Azal developed by Trifolio M GmbH, Lahnau, W. Germany also is in the market. In
contrast, there are more than two and a half dozen products developed in India and of them about a
dozen are in the market after registering with Central Insecticide Board, Faridabad.

In addition to the toxic chemical available from neem, there are a thousand plant species found to
possess insecticidal properties. Some of them, like Pyrethrum obtained from Chrysanthemum
Cinerarifoliumt flower, nicotine sulphate from waste tobacco materials, rotenone obtained from extraction
of ground roots of derris and alium oil fraction of garlic and bitter gourd seeds have been in use prior to
developing synthetic pesticides and were effective. Their use has now been re-established by field trials
and effectiveness has been checked against various pests and the various pesticides out of them have
been developed in patented for use needs to be promoted. This source for toxic chemicals which is
biodegradable is getting wasted because they are somewhat slower in action and secondly large scale
manufacturing and supply distribution is not possible for them. Therefore, higher advertising cost and low
profitability discourage their utilisation. Some of the important sources of toxic chemicals from higher plant
groups have been listed in a chapter.

Field trials have been extensively carried out on use of biopesticides and some of the uses are described
crop-wise and pest-wise. It is interesting to note that cotton as a crop forms hardly 5% of the total
agriculture production, but it consumes about 50% of our total pesticides production. Field trials have
clearly shown that bollworms which are the major group of pests in cotton can be effectively controlled by
Trichogramma. The parasitoid Chelonus blackburni, introduced from other countries, attacks all the three
species of bollworms. It was mass-multiplied and tested in the cotton-growing tracks of Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. The green lace wing Chrysopa scelestes is an
effective predator against cotton aphids, American bollworms, thrips and mites. The mass production
technique of this predator to cover a wider area has been standardised in India. The sugarcane internode
borer is an important pest as sugarcane in south India. the luxurious dense vegetative growth prevents
insecticieal application.

Inundative rlease of Trichogramma at weekly intervals has been found to give adequate control on the
pest. Its utility and cost-effectiveness have been demonstrated in large-scale field experiments in the field
areas in Tamil Nadu. The release of this parasitoid was very effective against sugarcane top borer in
north Bihar. The release of Epiricrania melanoleuca parasitoid in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and
Sriganganagar and Bimdi districts of Rajasthan resulted in a saving of Rs.4 crore by controlling
sugarcane plant hopper. The parasitoid was released at 4,000-5,000 cocoons and four to five lakh
eggs/ha. The fungus Metarhizium sp. was found to eliminate plant-hopper totally is less than half the cost
of 10 to 14 sprays of pesticides.

Similarly, the pest of oil seeds have been controlled by Telenomus predator, Ninon and Microplitis
machlipennis szepl. Field trials have also conducted on pests of oil seeds where parasitoids like Elasmus
nephantidis, Brachymeria nephantidis, Xanthopimpla sp. are used in control of leaf caterpillar in Kerala.

In the rice ecosystem, an important biological control approach is conservation of the existing natural
enemy complex. At least nine parasite species have been reported to attack rice stem-borers besides
some predators. Lycosid spiders are potential predators of brown plant-hoppers.

Ther mirid predator, Cyrtorphinus lividipennis, is an other effective predatory bug feeding on brown plant
hopper. The rearing technique has been standardised in laboratory host insects and release at 100 mirid
bugs or 50-75 eggs/m2 at 10 days interval are very effective.

A chapter also covers the use of biopesticides against crops vegetable pest, tamarind pests in vegetables
predatory mites, Amblyseius tetranychivorus and Phytoseilus parasimilis have been identified to kill
effectively the phytoiphagous mite species on vegetables such as brinjal and bhindi.

The cutworm complex was found attacked by entormopathogenic nematode Neoapleccollaris. The white
grubs in potato were found infectoids, Chelonus baclburni, C. Kellieae.

Cultural practices-destruction of alternate hosts (Impomoea spp.), removal and burning of plant residues
after harvest, deep ploughing of field after harvest, earthing-up, crop rotation and use of short-duration
varieties help reduce the weevil infestation. Such practices can control many other pest-attacks and are in
line with healthy agricultural practice.
One of the foremost requisites for biological control programmes is the availability of adequate information
on the presence or absence of natural enemies pests etc. in a particular area where control is needed.
Production of suitable parasitoid in local insecory under initial guidance by scientific plant protection
laboratories is essential.

A brief collection of information on global scenario, it is generally accepted that about 1000 tonne of bio-
insecticides are produced in the USA and it is estimated that about 2000 to 3000 tonne is the world wide
production. Some of the bioinsectidices have been tested and registered in various countries. Most
common is the B.T. which is found effective against 90 different insects.

Eighty per cent present tonnage of B.T. is used to control the insects of lettuce and cole crops, particularly
cabbage looper (Trichoplusia sp), tobacco bud worm (Heliothis virescens), Tobacco horn (Manduca
sexta) and several other forest pests.

In Thailand, control of rice pests assumed critical importance as largest brown plant hopper intercepted
their extensive rice production and chemical pesticides showed failure year after year. Brown plant
hopper was keep under complete biological control and on pest resistant varieties.

Indonesian experience that insecticides induce explosion of pest population but integrated pests
management has increased rice production by 12%. Whereas this reduced pesticides used on cotton by
about 50%. They relied on trichogramma in cotton pests. This reduction of pesticides use has not cost
any significant decline in cotton fields. Although real economics is not available, using Trichogramma has
been twenty times cheaper than chemical pesticide usage in the USA.

In Andhra Pradesh, four commercial laboratories are mass-multiplying an egg parasitoid Telenomus
prolitor to control castor semilooper. Trichogramma sp. parasitises 50 to 95 per cent of eggs of this pest in
Gujarat. Microplitis maculipennis parasitises the larvae to the extent of 70 to 90 per cent. For mustard
crop, severely attacked by aphids, there are effective natural enemies, parasitoid, Diaeretiella rapae and
coccinellied beetles.

Pod borers are serious pests of pulses of which gram pod borer, Heliothis armigera, is prominent. The
parasitoids, Trichogramma and Campoletis spp. were attempted for field release. Other possible natural
enemies are Barcon hebetor and Telenomus sp. the NPV is the most effective insect pathogen of this
pest and this is being mass-multiplied in various centres for large-scale field use.

In control of apple pests, the chalcid parasitoid aphelinus mali which was first introduced in the Kullu
valley and later in Kodaikanal and Coonoor of the Nilgiris, has played an important role. A natural
parasitisation of 70-80 of wooly aphid of apple is recorded after decades of field release, indicating the
establishment of the natural enemy. In the control of San Jose scale of apple and other fruit trees two
important parasitoids, Encarsia perniciosi and Aphytis sp. are more promising. The former species has
established itself in many apple growing tracts. For the control of another serious apple pest, codling
moth, two exotic species of Trichogramma were found effective in Ladakh.

The fungus, Metarhizium sp. was found to cause 100% destruction of sugracane plant-hopper Pyrilla
perpusilla in North India. Detailed studies on culturing and dosage habve been made and the method of
mass production of N. anisopliae, the green muscardine fungus, has been developed for use against
coconut rhinoceros beetle in Tamil Nadu. It attacks all the stages of the pest under manure pit where it
lives causing 100 per cent destruction of larvae.
A few species of fusarium were reported to cause 90% destruction of Coccus viridis, the coffee green
bug, within 10 days after application. They also infect various pests like brinjal mealy bug and spotted
beetle and aphids on crucifers. This fungus was found to be safe to all instars of mulberry silkworm,
honey bees and certain natural enemies of insects.

Biopesticides can be economically produced. However, large scale field trials have only to be carried out
in USA. One of the bioinsecticides shifted its host base. Another useful product and such dangerous
status has to be protected and therefore the production and use of the predators and parasitoids has to
be done under the supervision of the research associates, who can keep watch on future development of
the predators. The technologies essentially developed in laboratory and field trials are now well
established and ready for transformation to manufacturing units. Although, in some of the cases, their
product shelf life is limited.

Biopestisides need to be produced by small insectories, catering to the need of a small area in each
village by educated farmers can be trained by research institutes and later on the technologies can be
transferred to village level. This will benefit the farmers and keep the cost under control. In some cases in
South India and in Punjab, the cotton wool worm etc. are successfully controlled by Trichogramma. These
predators are produced on small scale only. This method is workable in the present circumstances till
long time stable products are available for production in large units.

Similarly botanicals or products of higher plant group are also fast biodegradable but the disadvantage is
the products are unstable for long periods. Although, W.R. Grace has developed the technology thereby
neem extract can be long time stable. Equivalent good technologies have been standardised and are
available from National Chemical Laboratory. The other higher plant products were very much in use
some forty decades ago and were out dated by synthetic chemicals and it can be brought back as heir
trails have been given the successful results. The technologies are well known, adoption on small scales
is easily possible, does not require too much complicated equipments or instruments. Number of plants
and their toxicity amount or resources required or effectiveness to the particular preys, all such data is
available in detail. Some of the products are already in market and are utilised by the knowledgeable
farmers. Many technologies are available from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University.

An overview brings out clearly the significant role, the botanical and biopesticides can play in future,
particularly under the umbrella of Integrated Pest Management. There is no doubt that most of the
potential species of higher plants have not received the due attention of active researchers for pest
control and allied purposes. Presently, the only plant of promise for field use is neem (Azadirachta indica
A. Juss) which has been already researched for over three decades and extensively deliberated by the
international scientists at four major international neem conferences, besides the other national and
international forums. Even in this case, the large scale field trials are scarce and the toxicological
information till wanting. There are also apprehensions about the product stability as well as about the
availability of the raw materials in requisite amounts in the immediate future.

Several mechanical traps are known which could be used to monitor the pest activity and its build up. The
idea of biological control measures, conservation of natural parasites and predators in the ecosystem and
inundative release of egg parasite be explained to farmers. The farmers should be taught to use relatively
safe agrochemicals in the right doses alternatively. The plant resistance is a very cheap method of pest
control. Multiple resistant varieties to be evolved for the farmers. Regular monitoring of pest activities at
village, block, district, state and national level be done by various agencies involved in agriculture.
In conclusion, it can be said that with the changing cropping pattern, there has been major shift in insect,
pest and diseases. This problem is to be controlled by integrated pest management technique. Farmers
have to take key position in implementing the technique through appropriate timely and precise adoption
of package of practices. Skill oriented farmers education, therefore, becomes more relevant and has to be
encouraged to make agriculture sustainable.

The report has been concluded with recommendation and action plan for implementation of environment
friendly pest control measures, need of educating farmer by training and retraining and making available
comic books on subject, video presentation and broadcasting of programmes over TV and Radio
Receiver’s and by creating a team of trainers under the guidance of research and plant protection
laboratories, with equal interest by local authorities in promoting such efforts. Proposals have also been
made for R&D laboratories for significant further economics of biocontrol and promotion and field
demonstration to farmers. They are also recommended to create training materials like video cassettes
for display on TV and Village demonstrations even audio cassettes on biocontrol of pests could be useful
alongwith other publicity / information material.

Updating R&D labs, integration between R&D lab and field scientists working as various crops. Training
needs for scientists and demonstrators have been identified and can play major role if implemented in
proper direction keeping overhead/infrastructure costs limited.

An attempt has been made to quantify cost of planned programmes and benefits accrued from such
efforts immediately and also in the long term. The funds investments although small would enable to have
eco-friendly pesticides with easily available locally produced materials.

Lastly, report concludes with assessment of impact of such efforts; will also eliminate expenditure on
health care and hazardous chemical management as well as reduce accidents like Bhopal gas tragedy
etc.