Relevance of Botanicals for the Management of Forest Insect Pests of India

Abstract

Insect pests are major biological determinants of forest productivity, and integrated pest management is not new to Indian forestry. In this chapter, insect pests of economic importance in Indian forest scenario are summarized, and the possibility of managing them with botanical pesticides is discussed. Proper understanding of the biology and ecology of the tree species and their associated fauna and flora plays an important role in the pest management. In general, nurseries and monoculture plantations are much more susceptible to insect epidemics as compared to mixed plantations and natural forests. Besides, the number of insect species acquiring pest status is increasing day by day possibly due to environmental imbalances, climate change and bioinvasion. Large-scale spraying of chemicals, microbes or botanicals cannot be feasible in large-scale plantations and natural forest areas, but it is feasible to use maximum quantity of neem cake and other neem products as an integral component for pest management. Besides, it is essential to promote the use of plant products in the forest insect pest management programmes which will encourage the users to grow more trees in their homesteads and boost the greening India programme.