1Assistant Director of Agriculture (Farm), ZARS, Krishnanagar, Nadia, West Bengal, India
2Associate Professor, Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Agriculture (PSB), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, Birbhum, West Bengal, India
3Professor, School of Plant Protection, College of Post Graduate Studies, Central Agricultural University, Umiam, Meghalaya, India
4Assistant Professor, Department of Extension and Communication Management, College of Home Science, Central Agricultural University, Sangsanggre, PO: Dobasipara, Tura, 794005, Dist: West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India
Corresponding author email id: *biswajit.lahiri@gmail.com
Online published on 31 December, 2014.
In the red lateritic zone of West Bengal, brinjal is very popular crop among the farmers and it is normally grown as a Rabi crop. Among the various constraints of the low productivity of this crop, the incidence of insect pests is a major one, which not only reduces the returns, but also affects biosphere due to the excessive use of pesticides to control the pests. A brief idea about the socio-economic as well as plant protection status of the brinjal growers of red lateritic zone of West Bengal is essential to develop some bio-intensive integrated pest management strategies against this dreaded pest. Thus, a study was formulated in exploratory research design on the brinjal growers of the region with the following objectives: to know the socio-economic status of the brinjal growers in the study area, to explore the usual plant protection measures taken up by the growers against pests of brinjal and their knowledge regarding the latest plant protection methods and to study the economics of brinjal cultivation in the study area. Hundred farmers were selected through simple random sampling method (without replacement) as respondents from seven blocks of Birbhum district of West Bengal, which comes under red lateritic zone. Data were collected with the help semi-structured interview schedule, prepared by Asian Vegetable Research Development Centre, Taiwan, after minor modification. The study revealed that the farmers’ knowledge and practices to control the pests of brinjal were much more conventional in approach and it violated the principles of integrated pest management practices on the issue of sustainability of the crop in the region. The relatively higher educational and land holding status, long farming experience of the brinjal growers can be proved as relative advantage in terms of designing and dissemination of bio-intensive pest management strategy for the brinjal crop in the study area.
Socio-economic study, Brinjal farmer, Leucinodes orbonalis, Pest management practices, Cost of cultivation, Red lateritic zone, Bio-intensive measures
