Use of plant extracts for tea pest management in India

Abstract

India is the second largest producer of black tea in the world. The biggest challenge for tea growers of India nowadays is to combat pests and diseases. Tea crop in India is infested by not less than 720 insect and mite species. At least four sucking pests and six chewing pests have well established themselves as regular pests causing substantial damage to this foliage crop. Various synthetic pesticides are widely used for the management of tea pests in India. Applications of such large quantity of pesticides could cause various problems such as development of resistance, deleterious effects on non-target organisms such as insect predators and parasitoids, upsetting the ecological balance, and accumulation of pesticide residues on tea leaves. There is a growing demand for organic tea or at least pesticide residue free tea in the international market which affects the export price. There is also a higher emphasis of implementation of new regulations on internationally traded foods and implementation of Plant Protection Code (PPC) for tea by the Government of India. This necessitates a relook into the usage pattern of synthetic pesticides on this crop. There are various non-chemical interventions which are being worked out for their sustainability, compatibility, and eco-friendly properties which can gradually replace the use of toxic chemicals. The application of plant extracts with insecticidal properties provides an alternative to the synthetic pesticides. Botanical products, especially neem-based products, have made a relatively moderate impact in tea pest control. Research has also demonstrated the potential of 67 plant species as botanical insecticides against tea pests. The majority of plant products used in pest management of tea in India are in the form of crude extracts prepared locally in tea garden itself, and commercial standardized formulations are not available for most of the plants due to lack of scientific research in the area. Apart from systematic research in this area, to facilitate the simplified and trade friendly registration procedures with quality assurance of the products, there is an increasing need of regulatory authority and national norms in India.

Comparative biology, predation capacity and effect of an artificial diet on reproductive parameters of green lacewing Mallada boninensis (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

“…With the advent of Plant Protection Code by the Government of India, there has been a paradigm of change in tea plantations for pest management (Roy et al ., ). An increasing effort is now being redirected for the promotion of alternative control strategies that gradually reduce the dependence on chemicals for sustainable tea production.…”

Efficacy of homemade botanical insecticides based on traditional knowledge. A review

“…Globally, over 2500 plant species belonging to 235 families have been reported to have biological activities against pests (Isman 2006;Roy et al 2016;Saxena 1998;Stevenson et al 2017). More specifically, the use of a wide variety of botanicals for insect pest control is highlighted in many farmer surveys, such as with 10 botanicals being used by farmers in Northern Malawi, 7 in Zambia (Nyirenda et al 2011), 34 in the Lake Victoria basin in Uganda (Kamatenesi-Mugisha et al 2010), or 11 in one district of the Tamil Nadu State in India (Kiruba et al 2008).…”

The Potential Pharmacological and Medicinal Properties of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) in the Drug Development of Phytomedicine

“…Trichophyton -causing athlete's foot, the fungi that infects hair follicle, skin surfaces, and nails; Epidermophyton -causing ringworm that infect both the skin and nails of the feet [25,67]; Microsporum that is a ringworm that infect hair, skin, and to some extend the nails; Trichosporon -a fungus of the intestinal tract; Geotrichum -a yeast like fungus that causes infections of the bronchi, lungs, and the mucous membranes [3]; and then Candida which is a yeast-like fungus that is part of the normal mucous flora but can get out of control, leading to lesions in mouth (thrush), vagina, skin, hands, and lungs [24]. The extracts of neem leaf, neem oil, seed kernels are effective against certain fungi such as Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, Microspor Trichosporon, Geotricum and Candida [16,33,68].…”

“…The secondary antifeedant effects result from the disturbance of hormonal and other physiological system such as. movement of food through the gut, inhibitions of the production of digestive enzymes, and effects on the stomatogastric nervous system [3,11,68]. For example locusts that are injected with azadirachtin, which bypasses the taste receptors, have shown a reduced ingestion of food as shown by faecal pellet production [2,21].…”