MM 3.3: Development, validation, utilization and/or commercialization of bio-pesticides and bio-inoculants

Integrated pest management depends on biological control to a great extent. Over the past two decades, a number of research programmes were carried out to identify and strengthen biological control in cotton. Projects to identify new bio-control organisms were implemented under the TMC-MM-1 of the Xth plan. The current programme aims to utilize the results of the previous programme so that the products can be validated and commercialized. The programme aims to deploy effective strains of antagonistic pathogens (fungal, viral and bacterial) and entomophagous nematodes in the field for pest and disease control. The sub-projects also aim to develop new mass production protocols of biocontrol agents of pests and pathogens like Trichogramma, microbial agents viz, viruses (NPVs, GVs and CPVs), bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis, B cereus), and fungal pathogens (Beauveria bassiana, Metarrhizium anisopliae, verticillium lecanii, Nomuraea rileyii, Trichoderma rileyii, Gliocladium sp., Pseudomonas spp.) and commercialize them. The optimum conditions for storage, efficiency and increasing shelf life of these bio-control agents will be determined.

OBJECTIVES

• To explore potent microbials and their screening against major pests of Bt-cotton
• To evaluate induced systemic resistance of potential antagonists
• To develop of data for registration of potential microbes for commercialization
• To Commercialize the new bio-pesticide strains

Name of the Lead Center: NCIPM, New Delhi

Co-operating Centers: CICR, Sirsa; CICR, Nagpur; CICR, Coimbatore; TNAU, Coimbatore; PDBC, Bangalore and UAS, Dharwad