Biorational pest management
Project 1 | Biorational management of rice pests and diseases
More than fifty years ago, Stern et al. (1959) introduced the concept of “Integrated Control” during a time when insect pest control was mostly based on broad-spectrum, conventional insecticides. Their work on economic thresholds and economic injury levels implemented within an ecological framework, where chemical and biological controls could thrive together is the basis for the modern-day Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concept. However, along the way, IPM’s overdependence on these broad-spectrum insecticides led to criticism that IPM was nothing more than Integrated Pesticide Management. Severe adverse effects of pesticides on the environment, problems of resistance reaching crisis proportions, and public protests have driven demand for alternative pest control tactics. With advances in the development of biorational pesticides and other selective chemistries, there is now a real opportunity to realize the “Integrated Control” concept. Biorational agents are known to have limited or no effects on non-target organisms, are generally narrow spectrum and can be specific to phylum, class or even species of organisms.
Over the years scientists have evaluated a number of novel approaches to achieve effective management of agricultural pests and diseases with limited or lack of non-target effects. Among the latest line of technological innovations, nanotechnology occupies a prominent position in transforming agriculture and food production with novel tools for the management of diseases, rapid disease detection, enhancing the ability of plants to absorb nutrients, among others. In recent years, a number of work has shown the potential of nanotechnology based intervention in sustainable agriculture. Nanobiotechnology operates at the same level with virus or disease infecting particles, and thus holds the potential for primordial detection and eradication.
Another novel approach that has received increased research attention in recent years is the plant-endophyte mediated control of agriculture pests. In the past few decades, plant scientists have begun to realize that plants may be serving as a reservoir of untold numbers of organisms known as endophytes. Endophytes are any microorganism, typically bacteria or fungi that live within a plant without developing any symptomatic response. Endophytes play major role in physiological activities of host plants influencing enhancement of stress, insect, nematode and disease resistance.
Rice plant was chosen for this study for its economic, social and environmental importance. To keep rice security, IRRI estimates that an additional 8-10 million tons of rice needs to be produced every year with less land and less water, in a more efficient and environmentally-friendly system. One constant threat for farmers to obtain this yield is losses caused by pests and diseases. When prophylactic pesticides are constantly applied, such practices destroy ecosystem service by killing natural enemies that causes insect outbreaks. Indiscriminate use of insecticides also induces rapid development of resistance in insects.
In comparison to other countries, research on biorational management of agriculture pests and diseases in India has received far less attention. Considering the above information, there is a pressing need to explore novel biorational approaches for pest and disease control in rice to achieve ecologically sustainable and economically viable increase in productivity. The primary, overarching goal of this project is to evaluate the efficiency of nanoparticle based and endophyte-mediated biorational approaches as an alternative management tool for the major pests and diseases of rice
