Biological control agent is any agent who is non-chemical and natural and acts to control the incidence of disease or pest. Biological control agents could be that of antagonist agents. These agents help to conduct studies on developing artificial diets for host insects and natural enemies, behavioural studies on natural enemies and insect viruses, identifying and developing fungal and bacterial antagonists. Project Directorate of Biological Control and other universities have been able to develop biological control agents for crops like sugarcane, cotton, and cereals like rice, pulses and also for tropical fruits like pomegranate. Information about bio-control agents is made available through journals and research papers. Project Directorate Biological Control is planning a foray on the net so that the latest information is made available thus avoiding any timelag. The domestic market for biological control agents is estimated to be around one to two per cent of the total pesticides market. This market is fast growing and should reach about 15 to 20 per cent of the total pesticides market within the next decade. There is a growing awareness to the use of biological control agents globally. Users of biological control agents were east European nations like Bulgaria, Romania. Also Russia and China are other major users. |
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