Lecture-11 Integrated pest and disease management- bio-control agents, bio-rotational

pesticides, minerals , botanicals, soaps, trap crops, bird perches and traditional
preparations- Sanitation

INTEGRATED DISEASES AND PEST MANAGEMENT

Definitions of 'pest' (noun) 1. An annoying person or thing; a nuisance. 2. An injurious

plant or animal, especially one harmful to humans. 3. A deadly epidemic disease; a pestilence.

Integrated Plant protection

Plant protection (against pests, diseases and weeds) determines the effectiveness of other
inputs in crop production. Exclusive reliance on pesticides, fungicides and herbicides resulted in
pesticide and herbicide resistance, pest resurgence, residues and environmental pollution. This
led to the development of integrated plant protection strategies, which are components of
sustainable agriculture with a sound ecological foundation. Integrated plant protection should be
understood as an ideal combination of agronomical, biological, chemical, physical and other
methods of plant protection against entire complex of pests, diseases and weeds in a specified
farming ecosystem, with the object of bringing down their infestation to economically
insignificant levels with minimum interference on the activity of natural beneficial organisms.
The essence of integrated plant protection concept lies in the harmonious integration of
compatible multiple methods use singly or in combination against insect pests, pathogens and
weeds.

a. Integrated disease management

For mitigating the loses due to diseases, several methods such as fungicides, organ mercurial,
chemotherapy, thermotherapy, cultural methods and host resistance are employed. However, no
single method is effective in controlling a disease. Therefore, integrated disease management
(IDM) became imperative for effective disease control. Integrated disease management in
organic farming combines the use of various measures. The usefulness of certain measures
depends on the specific crop-pathogen combination. In many crops, preventative measures can
control diseases without the need of plant protection products. However, for certain disease
problems, preventative measures are not sufficient. For example, organic apple production
strongly depends on the multiple uses of plant protection products. All the cultural methods
discussed under IPM hold well for IDM also. Broad based tentative IDM components are being
adopted for disease control. However, all these components are not feasible for any specific
ecosystem or any specific disease. For many other diseases the role of host resistance, cultural
methods and chemical methods are integrated. Solar heat therapy (drying the seed in hot sun
after harvest and again before sowing) is a common practice in our agriculture. Among
mechanical methods for prevention and against spread of diseases uproot and burn is the age old
and the best method so far. It is better to prevent and control vectors against spread of diseases.
Disease affected plants are to be uprooted and burnt and alternate and collateral host-crops,
grasses, stubbles etc. destroyed. Disease can affect any part of a plant. Disease may be fungal,
bacterial and viral. Viral diseases are more serious than fungal and bacterial.

Disease management in organic cropping systems combines various components which can be
divided into strategic preventative measures, tactical preventative measures and control
measures. For each crop-pathogen relationship and cropping system such components will
contribute to different extent to disease management (Termorshuizen, 2002). The development
of integrated disease management systems depends on thorough knowledge of the cropping
systems as well as of the pathogen and can only be achieved by interdisciplinary research.

Bio-pesticides:

Natural occurrence of diseases caused by micro-organisms is common in both insects and

weeds and is a major natural mortality factor in most situations. Use of micro-organisms for pest
control involves their culture in artificial media and later introduction of larger amounts of
inoculums in to the field at appropriate time. Many fungi and bacteria can be handled in this way
but insect viruses have the limitation that they have to be raised in living insects. As the
biocontrol agents (microbial pathogens) are applied on the targeted pests in much the same way
as chemical pesticides, they are often termed as bio-pesticides or natural pesticides.

Bacillus thuringensis, a bacterial pathogen infesting a wide range of insect pests, is the most
common microbial insecticide in use today. It is used against caterpillars that attack a wide range
of crop. Unlike most other chemical insecticides, it can be used on edible products up to the time
of harvest. It is selective in action and does not harm parasites, predators or pests. The bacteria
come in several commericla formulations such as Dipel, Delfin, Halt, Spicturin, Biolep, BioAsp
etc. Another bacterium B popilaleis also commonly available against white grub Popillae
japonica and Hototricha sp. Amongst insect pathogenic fungi, commercial preparations of
Verticillium lecanii are available for the control of aphids, thrips and white fly under glass house
conditions.

Botanicals:

Some weeds like Lantana, notchi, tulsi, adathodaetc act as natural repellant to many pests.
Trees like pungam, wood apple, anona and their byproducts have excellent insecticidal value in
controlling diamond back moth, heliothis, white flies, leafhoppers and aphid infestation.

Most commonly used botanicals are neem (Azadirachtaindica), pungamia (Pungamiaglabra)

and mahua (Madhucaindica). Neem seed kernel extract (2 to 5%) has been found effective
against several pests including rice cutworm, diamond back moth, rice BPH, rice GLH, tobacco
caterpillar, aphids and mites. The pesticidal ingredients of neem formulations belonging to
general class of natural products called triterpenes, more specifically, limonides. They act as
repellents and also disrupt growth and reproduction in insects. Commonly known limonoids are
azadirachtin, meliantriol, salannin, nimbin and nimbidin. The efficiency of vegetable oils in
preventing infestation of stored product pests such as bruchids, rice and maize weevils has been
well documented. Root extracts of asparagus work as a nematicide for plant parasitic nematodes.
Similarly leaf extracts of many plants can inhibit a number of fungal pathogens.

Trap crops

A trap crop is a plant that attracts agricultural pests, usually insects, away from nearby crops.
This form of companion planting can save the main crop from decimation by pests without the
use of pesticides

Examples of trap crops include:

 Alfalfa planted in strips among cotton, to draw away lygus bugs, while castor

beans surround the field, or tobacco planted in strips among it, to protect from the
budworm Heliothis
 Rose enthusiasts often plant Pelargonium geraniums among their rosebushes
because Japanese beetles are drawn to the geraniums, which are toxic to them.
 Chervil is used by gardeners to protect vegetable plants from slugs.
 Rye, sesbania, and sicklepod are used to protect soybeans from corn seeding
maggots, stink bugs, and velvet green caterpillars, respectively.
 Mustard and alfalfa planted near strawberries to attract lygus bugs, a method pioneered
by Jim Cochran
 Blue Hubbard squash is planted near cucurbit crops to attract squash vine borer, squash
bugs, and both spotted and striped Cucumber beetle.
Bird perches 

Bird perches are resting places for predatory birds to rest and to look for preys; such as insect
pests of cotton, peanuts, and cowpeas. Predatory birds prefer to look for prey in field crops
where they have places to rest. To make bird perches, use bamboo or wooden poles or tree
branches.

Traditional preparations

I. Maize seeds are soaked in cow urine for 10-12 hours before sowing.
According to farmers, this treatment increases resistance against insect pests.

2. Rice seedlings raised from seed treated with extract of neem kernel are
vigorous and resistant to leafhopper.
3. In paddy, spraying a solution of 4 l of cow urine and 10 g asafoetida in
10 l of water, repel the sucking pests (aphids,jassids).

4. In paddy, spraying a solution of cow dung prepared by mixing 3 kg cow

dung in 3 litres of water against the control
of paddy blast and bacterial blight.

5. In case of insect holes made by shoot borer and bark eaters in mango
tree, jaggery is placed in the holes to attract other predators (ants), so
that they will feed upon the insects present in the hole. Similarly the practices of pouring
kerosene in holes and ‘blocking holes with cow dung.

6. For prevention of infestation of shoot borer in mango tree, common salt

is mixed with soil near the collar region of the tree.

7. In case of ‘bunchy top’ disease in chilies dusting of ash; use of gugul

(Commiphora wightii) smoke; spray of sour butter milk; spray of liquid waste
of tanned leather, and spray of cow/goat urine

8. A peculiar method of controlling diseases in chilli was observed in which the twigs of aak
(Calotropis spp.) are placed in chilli field in between
rows. Similarly some farmers placed fresh cow dung near the collar
region of plant to prevent it from fungal diseases viz., damping off and
die back.

9. In case of soil-borne diseases viz., root rot, collar rot, etc. and termites,
the castor cake, karanj cake, or neem cake

10.In case of sugarcane crop, use of common salt (100-125 kg/ha) during intercultural
operations.

According to farmers, the salt is effective against termite problem.

11.During sprouting of sets in sugarcane crop, putting stems of aak

(Calotropis spp.) in the irrigation channels is effective against control of
termites, white grub, and borers.

12.Use of kerosene was also common against control of termites in the

field
Questions

A. Choose the correct answer

A1. Which among these can be used as seed treatment against soil borne fungal diseases
in organic farming?
a. Benlate c. Trichoderma
b. Bavistin d. Trichogramma

B. Short question

B1. Write the difference between organic and conventional farming with respect to plant
protection
B2. State the mechanisms involved in biocontrol
B3. Brief about Bio- pesticide
B4. Brief about panchagavya preparation

C. Brief question

C1. Describe the principles and strategies of crop protection in organic farming