Crop Protection

Most of the food crops are subjected to damage by insects and diseases. Large number of insects and diseases are recognized on every food crop. Control of insects and diseases is one of the great challenge posed to human knowledge.

Although detailed work has been done in every insect/disease of every crop to understand the nature of insects and diseases and how to control them - their actual control is an ever growing challenge. Chemical control of insects and diseases of various crops was widely recommended - ever since the first insecticides was discovered in 1920. Use of insecticides and fungicides has grown on enormous scale to control the insects and diseases. Despites this, the damage due to insects and diseases has increased in the last 25 years.

Extent of damage by insects and diseases

Each crop has a large number of enemies in the form of insects, fungi, bacteria, weeds, rodents, mites etc unless they are controlled effectively, the crop yields would suffer very badly. To effectively control them, pesticides were recommended to be used.

Extent of damage by insects and diseases

	Insects	Diseases
Rice	10%	15%
Wheat	5%	15%
Jowar	12%	18%
Bajra	5%	8%
Cowpea	3%	15%
green gram	2%	14%
Black gram	2%	11%
Soyabean	3%	9%

Pesticides, in general, make a class of chemicals used to control pests, which include insects, fungi, bacteria, weeds, rodents, mites etc. respectively. Each one is controlled by group of chemicals like insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, weedicides, etc.