Vol. 11, Special Issue 11 (2022)

Author(s):
Supragya Krishan and AK Singh

Abstract:
It is widely acknowledged that one of the main obstacles to boosting and maintaining agricultural productivity in India is the presence of insect pests. The agricultural systems have changed significantly as a result of recent research advances, allowing farmers to cultivate a variety of crops throughout the year that were formerly quite seasonal (Sethi et al., 2002) ^[1]. Additionally, this resulted in a major change in the dynamics of insect populations and the status of various insect pests. Recent interactions with farming communities have shown that 93% of Indian farmers use chemical control, 51% get advice on plant protection from dealers, while 22% get it from extension agents, and the majority of farmers (73%) start the plant protection process when the pest first appears, regardless of its population, crop stage, or damage relationships (Kumar et al., 2006) ^[2]. In the case of wheat crops, plant protection expenses ranged from 7 to 40% of the crop's overall production costs. Despite the fact that integrated pest management (IPM) has been promoted for the past 20 years, only 3.2% of farmers used IPM methods in their wheat crops. However, IPM research over the past 10 years has revealed changes in farmers' attitudes towards pest management, which led to a 20–100% reduction in the use of pesticides in various crops. The current consortium-based farmer participation strategy was particularly successful in transferring technologies. Despite the positive outcomes, IPM adoption in Indian agriculture still needs to be strengthened through increased funding for both basic and applied plant protection research in order to displace the three wicked "Rs" now in use (Resistance, Resurgence, and Residues). Rethinking policies to promote eco-friendly solutions, increase extension, and include farmers should be prioritised in order to be more effective.