New gen pesticides

NEW GEN PESTICIDES

One of the major threats faced by the environment and humans nowadays is due to the use of harmful conventional pesticides. Spraying chemicals on crops is intended to kill the pests and to preserve yields, but if it comes out to compromise the human health, then we’re spelling double trouble here. Though many of the red and yellow labelled pesticides are already banned for use and import in India, most of the pesticides that are now in use are not at all safe, of which some are either banned or severely restricted in other countries. Inspite of the issue of poisoning to humans and mammals, they also pose other serious issues like development of tolerance in insect pests, pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, bio magnification etc. Since some group of  pesticides dissolve in fats and are not excreted, organisms tend to retain it almost indefinitely. Biological magnification is the process whereby the pesticides are more concentrated at each level of the food chain. In order to reduce negative impacts, it is desirable that pesticides be degradable or at least quickly deactivated in the environment. So it is the need of ours to develop new alternate safer solutions.

Researchers, with the help of farmers in the field have been desperately trying to develop new safer insecticides that can ward off the pests looking to claim their crops, but with minimal side effects. Thus came some novel, new generation pesticides, which prove to be far more efficient and safer than the conventional pesticides. They are excellent partners in IPM programs, and some of the green labelled pesticides are even recommended in organic farming.

Benefits of new generation pesticides over conventional ones

New generation pesticides work with a varying degree of effectiveness. Conventional insecticides (especially organophosphates and carbamates) attacked the general organ systems of insects. Remember that insects and humans have similar reproductive, enzyme, and nervous systems. This commonality made old insecticides highly toxic to even non target organisms including humans. Interestingly, the novel pesticides are highly selective and more tissue specific, which are activated in unique ways inside the target cells of insects, for example, many of them kill the pest by muscle contraction, which is unique in insects, resulting in reduced threat to other organisms. Also they have low persistence or residual effect. So it is safer to natural enemies, humans and other mammals.

Unlike conventional pesticides, they are narrow spectrum insecticides, requiring only very low dosage for pest control. For instance, the dosage of a new gen pesticide is 1 ml/10L water, whereas it may be 10ml/L water in the case of conventional pesticides.

Among these, Flubendamide (Fame, Takumi), and Chlorantraniliprole (Coragen) are green labelled insecticides, that means it can be recommended even in organic farming, and also in polyhouse cultivation.

Insecticides recommended for major pests in vegetables

Ø  Pod borers, stem borers, leaf feeders

(cowpea, chilli, brinjal, cucurbits)

Fame (0.1 ml/L), Coragen (0.1-0.3ml/L), Avaunt (1ml/L)

Ø  Sucking pests

(Aphids, white flies, jassids in chilli, tomato, bhindi, brinjal, cabbage)

      Pride, Tata manika (0.1g/L), Confidor (0.3ml/L), Actara (0.3g/L), Avaunt (1ml/L)

Ø  Mites (chilli,brinjal)

Oberon (0.8-1 ml/L) – Very effective against chilli mites, Mitigate, sedna (0.6ml/L), Actara (0.3g/L)

 Vegetable producers across the state should be aware about both the efficacy and environmental impact of insecticides before use in order to promote sustainable agriculture. They should be made aware about persistent and hazardous insecticides, and should encourage them to use more safer new gen insecticides over conventional pesticides. But only problem that may make the farmers reluctant to go for new gen insecticides is its price, which comes around Rs.147 per 50 ml (confidor) and Rs.1650 per 100 ml (fame), whereas a conventional insecticide cost only Rs.37 per 100 ml (radar). But you should remember already mentioned point that the dosage required is comparatively very low, when dosage of a conventional pesticide is 10 ml/L, it is only 1 ml/10L in the case of a new gen pesticide. You should choose whether to go for a cheap hazardous pesticide or an expensive safer pesticide. For making the farmers distinguish the differences, awareness is the most needed.



                                                                                                                            ANCHANA.V.V