Directorate of Oilseeds Research

Integrated Pest Management in Castor
The challenge will be to educate and
communicate on a global scale about crops!
food produced through IPM. IPM-based
production systems often cannot match the
quality and quantity of crops produced using
pesticide-based systems. However, IPM or
Eco-Iabelling will alJow consumers to
differentiate between food produced using IPM
and conventional systems, add value to the
potentiaJly lower quality IPM products, and
promote exports to other environmentally
concerned countries.
An IPM program may work well in
one area or ecosystem, but not in another. Pests
do not respect field, farm or political
boundaries. Therefore, integrated management
of pests will require cooperation at the
community, regional, national and global level.
National and international trade organizations
can help foster cooperation between countries.
Advances in computer and satellite technology
will help in gathering relevant lPM information
and facilitating its management, delivery and
exchange through distance learning and efficient
communication.
The development of human resources
in order to address IPM policy, technical, and
socio-economic impact issues will be very
important for sustainable IPM programme.
Since IPM is a biologically based
approach its success depends on activity of
many living organisms that interact with each
other and their physical environment. In depth
knowledge on agro ecology, cropping systems,
pest and natural enemy interactions, interactions
of microbes and other flora and fauna playa
major role in developing eco friendly rPM
technologies. In recent years spike formation
in castor is coinciding with occurrence of
cyclonic rains in later part of the monsoon
which will pre-disposes the crop to botrytis
disease resulting in total damage to primary and
secondary spikes leading to reduction in yield.
Outbreak of key pests like castor semilooper,
castor shoot and capsule borer and hairy
caterpillars affect the castor production. There
is a need to develop castor cultivars resistant
to major insect pests and diseases which can
be involved as one of the strong components
of sustainable rPM programme. By using
biotechnological tools there is ample scope to
develop genetically engineered transgenic
castor cultivars resistant to Lepidopteran key
pests like castor semi looper; castor shoot and
capsule borer, tobacco caterpillar and hairy
caterpillar as well as major diseases like botrytis
and wilt whi...:h are pr~duction constraints in
this region. At the Directorate efforts are on
to produce genetically engineered transgenic
castor upon success it can be one of the strong
components oflPM. In addition, biotechnology
can also be employed to develop new diagnostic
tools that enahk accurate identification of pests
and their natu' al enemy species, improvement
in the potentia' of natural enemies of pests of
castor crop.
There is a need to develop farmers
participatory JPM programme oriented towards
utilization of both indigenous and improved
technologies, ecological literacy and proper
understanding of field crop pest ecology apart
from knowledge on low cost as well as
improved IPM interventions which helps the
farmer to make better management decisions
for sustainable production of castor crop.
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