AAU develops five biopesticides

As the organic farming has received worldwide importance in the agriculture sector, the Department of Plant Pathology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat has developed as many as five biopesticides recently of which two are ready to grab the market.

Biofor-PF-2 (Jaiva Kiran) and Biozin-PTB (Jaiva Kiran 2) have already become two success stories for the scientists which have gained popularity among the farmers particularly while doing the cultivation of ginger, tomato, brinjal, potato and chilli.

Talking to this correspondent, Dr LC Bora, professor, Department of Plant Pathology, AAU said that both Biofor-PF-2 and Biozin-PTB will come to the market as an MoU is going to be inked with a business group within a short span of time.

He further informed that Biofor-PF-2 which contains beneficial microbes – Pseudomonas fluorescence and Trichoderma harzianum increases soil nutrients, rejuvenate soil, enhances plant growth and combat soil borne disease. Later it was upgraded as Biozin-PTB, a talc based biopesticide containing three aggressive strains of antagonists like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus brevis with standard adhesive and osmoticant. It has ability to biologically control rhizome rot and wilt of ginger and turmeric, wilt disease of tomato, brinjal, chilli, capsicum, damping off, foot rot, root rot and wilt of peeper, betelvine, cabbage, peeper, French bean in various grounds.

Dr Bora further added that the biopesticides developed by the department are safe to health and environment as there is no residual or environmental hazards. These enhance the growth and yield abilities of the crop plant, imparts ‘induced systemic resistance in crop’ besides controlling harmful pathogens. Biozin-PTB is economic compared to application of commercial chemicals and antibiotics.

Other three biopesticides are Biollium, Bio-Sona and Bio-Meta which protect the crops from insects, fungal diseases and ants and other harmful creatures respectively.
Apart from the districts of Assam like Golaghat, Nalbari, Borpeta, Udalguri, Dibrugar and Tinsukia, Biozin is used by the farmers of the neighbouring sates like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim.

The Assam Agricultural University have recently undertaken an innovative plan known as Satellite-Subsatellite-Biopesticide Production Centre in the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) to promote and popularize biopesticides developed by AAU. Through this plan the local entrepreneurs are aimed at to train to produce the biopesticides.

"This type of technology transferred method will help the local people in this region,” said Dr Bora.

He also added that the final experiments were being conducted on the three bio-pesticides Biollium, Bio-Sona and Bio-Meta after which they would be released for market.