Agri dept book to help fight pests

This initiative of Rajasthan will be taken up as a global project. Such books will be published for 128 agroclimatic zones in India, and later in Asian and African countries

The Rajasthan agriculture department has brought out a book to help officials identify pests affecting crops and guide farmers on fighting them.

As a pilot project, the department has selected the Kota agroclimatic zone -- the state has 10 zones. The book carries pictures of pests, infections on crops and effective pesticides.

“The project (called Production with Protection) was launched to provide security to crops, farmers and environment,” said agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini.

The book, the minister said, will help agriculture supervisors diagnose pests and issue prescription slips, to be called Rajasthan Krishi Salaah Parchi, to disinfect cops and vegetables. “This book is a bible for agriculture.”

The objective of the project is to suggest pesticide use in right quantity to protect crops, environment and human health. The book has pictures of pests and their effects on stems, leaves, pods, fruits and roots.

“Looking into the results, such books will be brought out for remaining nine agro-climatic zones by the end of this financial year,” Saini said.

“This initiative of Rajasthan will be taken up as a global project. Such books will be published for 128 agro-climatic zones in India, and later in Asian and African countries,” he said.

About 6000 agriculture supervisors will refer to the book and prescribe pesticides to farmers in 10 agro-climatic zones in Rajasthan, said Prakash Gupta, state head of the project.

“Farmers can come with the affected plants, otherwise agriculture supervisors will go to the fields to identify crop diseases and prescribe pesticides.”

Gupta said the book for the Kota zone has 302 pages that highlight pest infections to major crops and vegetables -rice, maize, soybean, wheat, mustard, gram, coriander, brinjal, tomato, chilli, okra, cauliflower and cabbage, cucumber and bottle gourd, garlic, guava and orange/lemon.