Himalayan Times (1959)

December 13, lbf.9

eieven

stored by government,
as a result of various
measures persistently
adopted during the past
10 years and more. It
would be obvious, there-
fore, that there it very
considerable room for
adding to agricultural
production by saving
what should otherwise
be lost.

Beginning of Plant
Protection
Although researches
on crop pests and diseases
have been carried out in
India since almost the
beginning of the present
century and many
measures against them
have been devised, the
application of the results
was neither very effective
nor widespread. 'Ibis
was so chiefly because
there was no organisation
which could induce,
educate and h».-;hi the
farmers to adopt measures
against pests and diteasss
on their farms. As a
first step, the Govern
meni of India established
in 1946, a Directorate of
Plant Protection, Quaran-
tine & Storage with the
object of assisting in the
.pro*ection of crops and
crop produce irom pest
and disease attacks. Soon
thereafter many of the
Sts.te Governments estab-
lished plant protection
organisations of their own
and today all of them
have developed such

oiganisations as part of
their Agriculture depart-
ments.

Meanwhile, the vari-
ous developments in
agriculture, such as, the
clearance of jungle lands
for cultivation, the us*
of improved varieties of
crops and of new chemi-
cal fertilisers, the increase
in irrigation facilities
and the changes in crop-
ping schedules and
patterns, have led to
increases in pest and
disease incidences and
to the appearance of
many new ones of both
the categories. However,
the developments in
agriculture cannot be
held up for fear of pests
and diseases, which must
be prevented from dama-
ging crops.

Methods of Pest and
Disease Control

The Methods of con-
trolling pests and diseases
fall into four maiu
categories. 1 he first is
the mecbaniral methed
in which are included
measures for the physical
removal of pests and
disease-affected plants or
parts there of by such
means as collecting
insects and other pests
in nets and traps, prun-
ing of diseased branches
of fruit snd other trees
and weeding with suita-
ble implements The
method is usually labori-
ous, though sometimes it

can be practised with
great effect and advan-
tage. The second method,
called cultural, aims at
modifying agricultural
practices in such a way
as to put the pest or
the disease organism at
a disadvantage so as to
prevent its growth and
multiplication. Alterations
in the times of sowing
and harvesting, avoidance
of ratooning, judicious
use of manures, fertilisers
and irrigation water and
the growing of crop
varieties which may resist
pest or disease attacks
are among the oultural
measures adopted. The
third method is biological
and implies the liberation
of parasites arid predators
in large numbers, which
may prey upon the pests,
mostly insects, so as to
reduce their populaticn
to the point of harmless-
ness. Ihe fourth method
is the control of pests
and diseases by means
of chemioal and other
poisons, collectively called
pesticides.

Control can be pre-
ventive or ourative and
in plant protection, as
in public health, preven-
tion is always better than
core. Preventive mea-
sures include the use of
resistant plant varieties,
the pre-sowing treatment
of seeds of wheat, barley.
juar, some millets, paddy
and cotton to prevent