Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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their crop on the other. The development of pesticides along with the use of fertilizers has, however, made possible to enhance the crop yield. The word "pesticide" is synonymous with crop protection agents such as herbicides, insecticides, nematicides and bactericides. The popularity of chemicals for controlling crop pests increased only after the discovery of pesticidal properties of dichlorophenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The synthetic pesticides are the principal means of crop protection. Chemical pesticides mainly aldrin, endosulfan, organophosphates, arsenicals etc. were valued for their uniform and rapid effectiveness against pest, ease of transport and relatively longer shelf life under proper storage conditions. Similarly the "miracle drugs" antibiotics were explored for controlling plant diseases.
Like with most biologically active substances, the use of pesticides or antibiotics is not with drawbacks. Unforeseen side effects such as toxicity to non-target organisms, including human health hazards and environmental contamination with the potential to affect the food chain (Norris, 1982) have been observed. In developing countries further problems are due to high prices, improper storage conditions and non- availability of safe and suitable application equipments.
At present, over 4000 pesticide formulations are available in the global market, and organic chemicals account for the vast majority of active ingredients in these preparations. It is a known fact that various pests and disease causing microorganisms have an inherent tendency to develop quickly resistance to the pesticides in use and search for new pesticides have ever been going on for protecting our crop and crop produce (Bennet, 1960;). It has been reported that at least 447 species of insects and mites, 200 species of plant pathogens are now resistant to chemical pesticides (Barak and Edginton, 1984).
This scenario has led to a total re-evaluation and radical revision of the basic underlying principles of pest control philosophy in the last 10 years, envisaging the concept of old pest management for suppression of pest populations below the levels capable of not causing economic injury rather than total eradication. A distinct propensity towards "trek back to nature" has become evident in the field of pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
For sustainable development a successful management of resources that can satisfy the changing human needs while maintaining or enhancing the quality of the environment and conserving the natural resources is of utmost importance. Natural products and chemical compounds discovered as a result of basic search into the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and biological control have led to the development of "bio-rational" or "biopesticides" (Chet, 1987) The use of biopesticides is a major step towards sustainable development. Biopesticides, originate from the living system and can either repel, inhibit or destroy the pest that would cause economic loss.
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