Management of white grubs through a novel technology in Uttarakhand hills of North-West Himalayas

Abstract

White grubs, a group of destructive insect pests of polyphagous nature, cause severe damage to crop plants in hill ecosystem. The grubs with subterranean habitat feed extensively on the roots and the adults defoliate the plants. A two-pronged strategy involving an efficient, light weight, eco-friendly, low cost, light-based insect trap for capturing the adults and a novel entomopathogen, Bacillus cereus strain WGPSB-2 for the management of grubs was developed. Large scale deployment of the above technology was done on community basis in 18 villages of low, mid and high-altitude areas including two experimental farms of Uttarakhand hills. Three years experimentation revealed drastic reduction in beetle population to the tune of 75.8, 78.5 and 80.5 per cent in low, mid and high-altitude villages respectively. A significant reduction of the grub population was recorded in the range of 87.8 to 95.7 per cent in three years across the different villages. As a result of reduction in grub population, per cent increase in yield of different crops was recorded from 23.8 to 187.9 per cent in different villages and experimental farms of low, mid and high altitudes. The technology is thus, capable of managing white grubs at different altitudes of hills in general and North Western Himalayas in particular.