Experts call for bio-security as pests, diseases enter India

There is a shortage of food across the world and experts are trying to come up with ways in which the shortfall in supplies can be made up.

There is a shortage of food across the world and experts are trying to come up with ways in which the shortfall in supplies can be made up. Amid this, India itself confronts another dimension to food security: entry of alien pests and diseases that could affect food production.

The danger is so great that experts have already suggested to the Centre that an effective mechanism should be put in place regarding pests on the lines of the bio-terrorism law in the US. An inter-ministerial body on bio-security, they advise, should be formed with representatives from the Union ministries of agriculture, defence, health, environment and forests and commerce.

Their concern is not unfounded. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) has identified a number of exotic pests and diseases which have entered the country. According to reports, NBPGR has found incidence of pests not known to occur in India. These include Peronospora manshuria on soyabeans from US, tomato black ring virus on French beans from Columbia, Anthonomus grandis on cotton from the US.

Story continues below this ad

The NBPGR findings have sounded a note of caution to the Government about the need for developing an appropriate mechanism to prevent the entry of dangerous pests and diseases in the interest of food security. “We have been suggesting to the Government that it should take stringent measures to prevent the entry of exotic pests or diseases that may endanger our food security,” said a senior scientist at the NBPGR plant quarantine division.

The Dehradun-based Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has also identified about 75 forest invasive species (FIS) in different parts of the country, which are a threat to the natural forest cover. Besides, there are 36 other FIS which are localised in limited areas. A special FIS cell has been set up in ICFRE under the chairmanship Director General Jagdish Kishwan.

“We are studying the behaviour of FIS and finding out ways to eradicate them from the forest areas and have also undertaken research on utilisation of FIS,” said Kishwan. The ICFRE’s biodiversity and climate change (BCC) division has prepared a country report on “Stocktaking of National Activities on FIS”, which has been submitted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to Asia Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network (APFISN).

In its studies, the Hyderabad-based Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) found bio-fuel crops like Jatropha acting as a pest bank for Semilooper (Archaea janata), red hairy caterpillar (Amsacta albistriga), leaf webber (Pempelia morosalis), stem girdler, grass hoppers, defoliaters, leaf and inflorescence webber (Pempelia morosalis), spotted bugs (Scutellera nobilis/Chrysocoris purpureus), scale insects (Megapulvinaria maxima), leaf miner, leaf blight and leaf galls (Eriophyes cherian).

Story continues below this ad

NBPGR has identified race or bio-type or strains of pests which are not known to occur in India in some imported consignments. These are Helminthosporium maydis/race T on sorghum from US, pea seed borne mosaic virus on broad bean and Burkholderia solanacearum biovar 2 on groundnut from Australia.

NBPGR has been given the responsibility of conducting quarantine checks on imported plants and plant materials used in public research institutes.

Interestingly, the NBPGR has listed the years of entry of exotic pests. The sunflower downy mildew came to India in 1984, peanut stripe virus in 1987, American serpentine leaf miner in 1991, spiralling white in 1993, vegetable/pea leaf miner in 1994, banana bract streak virus and coconut mite in 1995 and Bemisia tabaci biotype B in 1999.

The scientific body has already noted the presence of some exotic pests on some crops, like blight on chickpea which possibly came from West Asia, B.tabaci biotype K on cotton, PSTV on peanut, BBTV on banana which possibly came from Sri Lanka, San Jose Scale on apple which came from US and Golden nematode on potato which came from UK. It also identified pests like Lantana camara coming from central America and Phalarius minor from Mexico. The presence of other exotic pests identified are fluted scale, codling moth, potato cyst nematode, coffee berry borer, potato wart, banana mosaic virus and apple scab.

Story continues below this ad

“We have been suggesting to the government from time to time for the need to take stringent measures to prevent the entry of any exotic pest or disease which may endanger our food security. We can also conduct agarose gel electrophoresis of PCR to detect terminator technology in imported transgenic plants,” said a senior scientist in the NBPGR plant quarantine division.

According to ICFRF out of the identified 75 FIS, 61 are species of plants, including 12 species of fungi and 14 are species of insects. These 75 FIS are found in different forest regions of the country. There are also 36 FIS found localized in some areas. ICFRF also concluded that out of these identified FIS, 28 species are native to India but have but have taken invasive proportions in other bio-geographical regions of the country.

Some of the identified FIS are Acacia mearnsii or De Wild., Ageratum conyzoides or (L.) Sieber, Ageratum houstonianum or P.Mill, Chromolaena odorata or (L.) King and Robinson Cytisus scoparius L, Eichhornia crassipes or (Mart.) Solms, Eupatorium adenophorum or Spreng, Ipomaea carnea or Jacq, Lantana camara L, Mikania micrantha or (L.) Kunth, Mimosa invisa or Mart, Parthenium hysterophorus L., Salvinia molesta or DS Mitch, Ulex europaeus L, Xanthium strumarium L, Ectropis deodarae or Prout, Lymantria obfuscate or Walker, Pityogenus scitus or Blanford, Polygraphus longifolia or Stebbing, Fusarium monoliforme or Sheldon.