Question

Explain the importance of biopesticides in organic farming. <!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> [Textbook Question No.3d Pg no. 86]

Answer 1

• Biopesticides are types of pesticides derived from natural materials like plants, bacteria, fungi, and virus.
• These bio-pesticides when used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can decrease the use of harmful pesticides, while the crop yields remain high.
• Bacterium like Bacillus thuringenesis (Bt) is used to control butterfly larvae that feed voraciously on crops.
• The bacterium is available in sachets in the form of spores and is sprayed onto the crops.
• These spores then enter into the gut of the larvae and kill the caterpillar without harming any other organisms.
• Trichoderma is a fungus that lives in the roots of the plants acting as a bio control agent against numerous plant pathogens.
• Nucleopolyhedroviruses are used as insecticidal agents against insect pests.