The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here in association with the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) in Cuttack, Odisha, has successfully implemented the ‘pheromone’ technology in Odisha for protecting crops like maize, groundnut, cucurbits, col crops like cabbage and cauliflower, and vegetables like brinjal and tomato.
Pheromone Application Technology (PAT) is when an adult male insect is lured through a female sex hormone-mimicking scent prepared in the lab and taken to fields to stop natural mating and thereby, preventing reproduction of next generation of pests.
“Our pheromone technology has benefited 500 farmers directly and the usage of pesticides has been reduced by 50-60% in cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal, tomato, cucurbits, groundnut, vegetables in Odisha,” said IICT chief scientist B.V. Subba Reddy. PAT will now be popularised of another 1,500 hectares area in other districts of Odisha during the current year.
The technology was popularised by conducting training programmes and conducting field demonstrations on farmers’ fields in five villages in Dhenkanal district — Parjang, Sogor, Hatipada, Saptasajia and Parvathiya — covering about 400 hectares, he said.
Using the technology has also helped double farmers’ income through reduction of pesticide usage by half, enhancing the quality of the produce and yield increase of crops. PAT has received widespread appreciation and acceptance among the farmers, leading to a lot of demand for the pheromone ‘lures’ or traps. Many local entrepreneurs have evinced interest in making them, said fellow scientists B. Nagendra Babu and Rajasekhar.
The Rashriya Krishi Vikas Yojana of the Odisha government has sanctioned a project to NRRI-Cuttack for promoting pheromone traps to manage fall armyworm and other insect pests in four other districts besides Dhenkanal like Koraput, Navrangpur, Gajapati and Phulbani, said the IICT scientists. The same technology was used to deal with cotton crop pests in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
IICT had already supplied the necessary pheromone lures to NRRI under this project launched in October last year. The objective is to reduce the usage of harmful pesticides by utilising PAT for managing major insect pests in rice, maize, vegetables, oilseeds and fruit crops on the targetted 1,500 hectares, added Mr. Subba Reddy.
