New Delhi, Oct 29 (ANI/Business Wire India): With a vision to solve the cotton worm problem in India with environmentally benign solution, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), along with Department of Biotechnology facilitated the second technology transfer for Bollcure, a plant extract based bio-pesticide formulation developed by TERI, with PASURA Biotech Pvt. Ltd, Secunderabad.
The technology transfer agreement was signed in the presence of Dr M.K. Bhan, Secretary, DBT. Pasura Biotech is one of the leading agro-biotechnology companies in India, specialized in product-oriented research, development, and manufacturing of organic and biological agricultural inputs.
TERI will provide expertise and patent rights to the company during the 10-year contract.
Bollcure is a plant extract of Eucalyptus and it is 100 per cent environment friendly, suitable for Conventional, Organic, Bt cotton and Integrated Pest Management crop practices, apart from its mild antifeedancy.
It works against cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), a common larvae affecting cotton crop yield, and a host of other economically important crops such as pigeonpea, chickpea, tomato and sunflower.
Having a host range of more than 181 plant species, bollworm is currently the most difficult insect to control because of its developed resistance to most of the commercially available insecticides. Due to the insect's resistant nature towards pesticides, it has led to economic burdens on to the farmers.
TERI aspires to share this eco- friendly and effective pesticide with other companies, government bodies and farmers to protect economically important crops such as cotton, pigeonpea, chickpea, tomato, sunflower to reduce their wastage that contributes to the scarcity of food security and affects the profits of the farmers producing it.
Food security is a major concern that needs to be tackled that is incorporated in National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) issued by the Government of India. The bio-pesticide was launched in August 2007. (ANI)
