Assistant Professor

Department of Botany

SBMS College

 Sualkuchi, Assam, India 

Assistant Professor

Department of Zoology

SBMS College

Sualkuchi, Assam, India

Abstract

Sustainable farming practice is not new in our country and is being followed since the dawn of civilization. It is the practice of agricultural system which primarily aimed at cultivating and raising crops productivity in such a way as to keep soil alive and in good health by use of organic products in an eco-friendly and pollution free environment

According to Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO), organic farming is holistic production management system which promotes and enhances the overall health of an agro-ecosystem, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It emphasizes the use of management practices suitable for local conditions accomplished by using where ever possible agronomic, biological and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials to fulfill any specific function within the system. There are four basic principle (FAO, 2001) which need to be followed while practicing the organic farming which are - Principle of health, Principle of ecology, Principle of fairness and Principle of care.

Keywords- Agro-Ecosystem, Including Biodiversity, Biological Cycles, And Soil Biological Activity.

Introduction

The “Green Revolution” or “Third Agricultural Revolution” was a period when the productivity of global agriculture increased drastically due to application of modern technology, invention of high yielding varieties and use chemical pesticide and fertilizer in agricultural field. Way back over 55 years the term green revolution was coined by William Gaud of USA. After the green revolution the use of chemical insecticides and fertilizers in agricultural practice become a common occurrence in increasing soil fertility and controlling insect, pest considerably. These chemicals work very well, but their impact onsoil and atmosphere, as well as the increase in food residues, makes them dangerous to use (Rana and Tyagi, 2022).The consequences of extensive and often indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals have become quite deleterious to environment of soil, water and air which ultimately effects on health of human and other living biota. Violative pesticide residues also sometimes raise food safety concerns among domestic consumers and pose trade impediments for export crops. So, it is needless to say that indiscriminate use of chemicals in agricultural field could cause adverse changes in biological balance as well as lead to an increase in the incidence of various diseases in human and in other organisms through the toxic residues present in the grains or other edible parts (Bharti and Ibrahim, 2020). The random use of chemical pesticides has affected human health in a destructive manner over the years. According to the recent estimation by the World Health Organization (WHO), each year, around 25 million people suffer from acute occupational pesticide poisoning in developing countries, and, moreover, almost 20,000 people die worldwide (Chakrabortyet.al., 2023)

Therefore, the initiation of exploitive agriculture may only lead us, in the long run into an era of agricultural disaster rather than one of agricultural prosperity.Therefore, an eco-friendly alternative is the need of the hour (Gupta and Dikshit, 2010).On the basis of above analysis renowned agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan coined the term “Ever-green revolution” in 1990 to describe the concept of enhancement of productivity without associated ecological harm. The pathways to ever-green revolution is either organic farming or green agriculture.

Biopesticides are organisms or natural formulations that control or eliminate pests via diverse modes of action (MoA)(Wattimena and Latumahina, 2021, Reddy and Chowdary, 2021). They cover a wide range of organic products and formulations, such as predatory and parasitic species, biochemical compounds, and Plant Incorporated Protectants (PIPs). Biopesticides play critical roles in agriculture, which is the frontier sector driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Kumar and Singh, 2015). Apart from controllingagricultural pestand diseases, they are friendly to the environment and to beneficial organisms such as pollinators and plant growth-promoting microorganisms and promote crop productivity.Biopesticides are non-toxic and non-pathogenic to non-target organisms, hence do not affect directly beneficial animals like predators and parasitoids.

Plant resources may use as alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides in control agricultural insect pests. Several plant species have considerable economic importance due to the identification of their active constituents (Kayange et. al., 2022). The use of plant-derived substances for management of insect pests has achieved greater significance in recent times. The use of plant derived substances show desirable advantages such as ecofriendly, easy availability, safety and acceptability, minimal effect on beneficial organisms, low cost, easy to produce technology. Currently the worldwide demands for plant-derived substances are increasing due to their ecofriendly nature.Purohit and Vyas (2004) reported 2121 plant species which are useful in pest management. Table I sows list of some plants use as biopesticide for insect pest control.

Table I: Successfully exploited Plant species as biopesticide for insect pest control

Name of Species	Family	Part used	Active principle reported
Azadiracta indica	Maliaceae	Leaves, bark, seed	Azadirachtin, Meliantriol, Nimbin, Salannin, Nimbidin
Melia azadirach	Meliaceae	Leaves, bark, seed	Nimbolin, Meliatoxin
Pongamia pinata	Fabaceae	Leaves, bark, seed	Pongamol, Pongapin, Pongallone, Pongone
Annona sqamosa	Annonaceae	Leaves, bark, seed	Annonin, Squamocin
Acorus calamus	Araceae	Rhizome	Calamol, ∞ and β asarone
Nicotina tobacum	Solanaceae	Whole plants	Nicotine, Nornicotine, Anabasine
Vitex negundo	Verbinaceae	Flowers, leaves, root	Vitexin, Negundoside
Derris chinensis	Fabaceae	Roots	Rotenone
Tagetes erecta	Asteraceae	Flowers, leaves, roots	Mycene, Tagetone, Allopatuletin
Ocimum tenuiflorum	Lamiaceae	Whole plants	Jurocimene I & II, Ocimin
Cymbopogon marginatus	Poaceae	Leaves, roots	Cymbopogone, Cymbopogonol
Jatropha curcas	Euprorbiceae	Leaves, seeds	Curcusone, Jatrophol, Jatrophin
Mentha spicata	Lamiaceae	Whole plants	Menthol, Limonine, Menthone
Justicia adhatoda	Acanthaceae	Leaves	Vasicine, Vasicinone, Adhatodin
Lantana camara	Verbinaceae	Whole plants	Lantanolic acid, Lantic acid
Hyptis suaveolens	Lamiaceae	Leaves	Hyptolide
Eucalyptus globulus	Myrtaceae	Leaves	Camphene, Limonene, Terpienol
Aloe vera	Aloaceae	Leaves, rhizomes	Aloesin, Aloin
Alium sativum	Alliceae	Leaves, bulbs, flowers	Allicin, Diallyl sulphide
Moringa oleifera	Moringaceae	Leaves, flowers	Moringyne
Curcuma longa	Zingiberaceae	Rhizomes	Curcumin, Curlone, Curcumol
Calotrophis gigantea	Asclepiadaceae	Leaves, roots, flowers	Calotoxin, Calotropin, Mudarin
Allium cepa	Alliaceae	Bulb	Linoleic Acid, Oleic acid
Ricinus communis	Euphorbiaceae	Leaves, seeds	Ricin, Ricinine
Capsicum annunus	Solanaceae	Leaves, fruit	Capsicin
Murraya koenigii	Rutaceae	Leaves, barks,	Curryanine, Curryangine

Conclusion

With the rapid increase of population in the coming years, an immediate priority for agriculture is to achieve maximum production of food and other products. Production and productivity of various crops have been severely affected by several pests and diseases. Chemical pesticides are generally have been shown to be effective and convenient for raising agricultural productivity and managing disease, but they also pose a significant risk to public health and the environment. Plant derived substances are relatively safe to user, non-target organisms and to the environment. Besides their positive ecological impacts, they are non-toxic to mammals and humans, who are at the top of food chain.So, we may say that the use of organic pesticides is a medium for promoting organic agagriculture and a true means of overcoming the obstacles given by the high rate of agrochemicals.

References

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2. Chakraborty N, Mitra R, Pal, S, Ganguly R, Acharya K, Minkina, T, Sarkar A  and Keswani, C (2023). Biopesticide Consumption in India: Insights into the Current Trends. Agriculture, 13, 557. https://doi.org/10.3390/ agriculture 13030557

3. FAO Rome (2001). Organically produced Foods, joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimenatarius Commission (GL -34- 1999, Rev1-2001)

4. Gupta,S. and Dikshit, A.K. (2010). Biopesticides: An eco-friendly approach for pest control. Journal of Biopesticides. 3(1):186-188

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7. Purohit, S.S. and Vyas, S.P. (2004) Medicinal Plants Cultivation a Scientific Approach Including Processing and Financial Guidelines. Agrobios, Jodhpur, India, 1-3.

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9. Reddy, D. S., and Chowdary, N. M. (2021). Botanical biopesticide combination concept—a viable option for pest management in organic farming. Egypt. J. Biol. Pest. Control. 31, 1–10. doi: 10.1186/s41938-021-00366-w

10. Wattimena, M. A. C., and Latumahina, F. S. (2021). Effectiveness of botanical biopesticides with different concentrations of termite mortality. J. Belantara. 4, 66–74. doi: 10.29303/jbl.v4i1.630