Research article

A STUDY ON BIOTECHNOLOGY BASED PEST CONTROL AND PEST MANAGEMENT

B. Hareramadas1, Kiran Bala2, Rajkumar3 and Manisha Sengar*4

Online First: February 15, 2023


Transgenes inserted into crops for pest control have revolutionized pest management in the last 15 years. For pest control, herbicide resistance transgenes and Bacillus thuringiensis toxin production are the most common features now accessible. When available, these two features have been quickly embraced by farmers due to their better efficacy and ease of pest management. Insects have been a major source of food production losses, accounting for 20-30 % of global output. Plantations and tropical regions, which are typically the poorest in the world, suffer the most from the high occurrence of insect-pests, with an estimated 67,000 species causing damage. Low selectivity of insecticides used in pest control might impact the population of natural enemies, allowing pests to proliferate and even reinvigorating others. Because of this, researchers have been working harder than ever to find alternatives to conventional insecticides, and the most promising of these are now being tested in the form of insecticide-resistant plants, insecticides that target specific species, parasitoids, and entomopathogenic microbes (Bacillus thuringiensis). The employment of gene technology (Cry) in bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis) to manage Lepidoptera's primary pests is a good illustration of this. Ecologically sustainable, pollution-free, residue-free, and lower concentration of inert compounds in food items are all goals of introducing Bt gene technology. Even said, there are still a slew of obstacles to overcome before modern agriculture can fully embrace biotechnology.

Keywords

Biotechnology, Pest control, Bacillus thuringiensis toxin, IPM, Pest Management.