TO you and me, they are nothing more than nasty pests, but scientists everywhere are bug-eyed in wonderment about entomophages. Called those ‘‘friendly insects,’’ entomophages prey on pests that attack crops and prevent crop damage.
Sadly, as many farmers are unaware of their benefits, they use insecticides on them, eliminating these ‘‘friends of farmers.’’
Scientists at Gujarat Agricultural University (GAU) have developed a park in their campus, dedicated to breed these ‘‘helpful’’ insects and to produce them commercially for farms.
Head of Bio-Control Unit, GAU, D N Yadav, says: ‘‘Non-judicious use of chemical insecticides has led to large-scale destruction of these insects. As a result, potential bio-agents have become scarce.’’
Initiated three years ago, the Entomophage Park aims at restoring the lost balance and bring back plant resistance to natural levels. According to a study conducted by the unit at fields across the region, while not a single entomophage was found, the park has registered about 70 species and the numbers are growing.
‘‘Here, these friendly insects are conserved in a chemical-free condition all the year round. We take all care to provide an environment where they not only thrive but multiply,’’ Yadav says.
Spread over 0.2 hectare farmland in the GAU campus, the park has diverse plant flora, which favours growth of useful insects. On the practicality of the experiment, Yadav says every farmer can make a provision of a small corner in his field, where no pesticides are used for at least three years. ‘‘On a stretch some flowering plants can be grown — here, these insects grow naturally,’’ he explains.
At the GAU farm, an attached laboratory with provisions of artificial breeding under observation has been set up, which rears them for commercial use.
‘‘Some of them are crop-specific, but mostly they help all crops. We already have a few like Ladybird Beetle, Trychograma, Chrysopesta and NPV for commercial use,’’ Yadav says.
To educate farmers, the bio-control unit has been having monthly lecture demonstrations at its campus since one year, and Yadav claims that more than a 1,000 farmers have benefited.
A stall has been put up at the ongoing international agricultural fair at the campus to propagate the idea.
‘‘If farmers listen to us, they can be sure of reaping dividends in terms of containment of crop damage in two to three years, with the added bonus of saving bio-diversity,’’ Yadav says.