An Exploration into Integrated Pest Management Techniques in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, India.

Insect pests are major constraints to the production of India's grain legumes. In recent years, India’s efforts to combat these pests have focused on implementing integrated pest management (IPM) techniques in combination with available pest control methods to manage pest damage by the most economical means and with least hazard to the environment. The purpose of this study is to compare the IPM techniques utilized at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Tamil Nadu and the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Andhra Pradesh. This study introduces a number of IPM techniques including the development of pest-resistant cultivars from wild crop varieties, genetic engineering of plants, the use of bio-pesticides, the use of pheromones and plant volatiles, and the discriminate use of pesticides to combat pests of grain legumes.