ICRISAT Initiates Biopesticide Production in India and Nepal

The cotton bollworm or the legume pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) remains to be one of the biggest problems of farmers worldwide causing an annual crop damage of up to US$ 2 billion. Insecticide management systems necessary to minimize cotton bollworm damages cost an additional US$ 500 million. To address this issue, the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in collaboration with national agricultural research and extension systems and non-governmental organizations including the World Bank, has established biopesticide production units in India and Nepal.

Bollworm larvae are used for multiplying  the nucleopolyhedrosis virus (NPV), a biopesticide found to be effective in protecting the crops from the pest itself. The technology for NPV production, as presented by ICRISAT, involves collecting bollworm larvae and feeding them with an NPV-infected diet till they die due to infection. The NPV biopesticide is extracted from the dead larvae, which can then be sprayed to crops to manage Helicoverpa attack.

During the use of NPV in some 96 villages in India and Nepal, farmers have reduced the spraying of chemical pesticide by 65% in cotton, 24% in pigeonpea and 21% in chickpea, resulting to significant reduction in costs. Through this project, ICRISAT and their partners have transferred the technical knowledge needed to combat the cotton bollworm using biopesticides in India and Nepal.

For more information read the press release at http://www.icrisat.org/Media/2007/media12.htm