Plant Products as Biopesticides: Building On Traditional Knowledge of Vrkshayurveda: Traditional Indian Plant Science

Summary

Today there is a global search for alternatives to chemical pesticides and as part of this process there are various efforts to test the use and efficacy of natural products for pest control and crop protection. Our Centre has been involved in exploring the traditional knowledge regarding the use of natural products for pest control and crop protection. As part of this effort, we have looked at the traditional folk practices prevalent among farmers as well as information from classical literature on the subject drawn from Vrkshayurveda (traditional Indian plant science). Following this, we have carried out experiments for standardizing and field testing promising natural products by determining the precise range and kind of pests controlled by them, determining the optimum concentration where they can be effective against pests without being harmful to useful organisms and predators as well as studying their mode of action. Subsequently, we have also developed storage forms of various of these products by using methods based on Ayurveda. Studies on the stability and shelf life of these products are also being carried out through an insect rearing laboratory. Finally, we have also set up village based biopesticides units where a range of these products are being prepared thus providing valuable inputs to sustainable agriculture and a means of livelihood to rural women and farmers.