NETA organized seminar on integrated pest management in Golaghat

Siddhartha Handique, Golaghat, Jul 27: North Eastern Tea Association ( NETA) organized a seminar on Integrated Pest Management to effectively control the pests and diseases in tea plantations at its headquarters in Golaghat. The topic of the seminar was ' Climate Smart Advance Integrated Pest Management for Tea Plantation: A Sustainable Approach. Dr Somnath Roy, renowned Entomologist and In Charge of Dept of Entomology, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat was the resource person in the seminar. In tea plantations there are a wide spectrum of pests and diseases which need to be dealt with so that there is no crop loss. Moreover, the cost of pest management has been spiraling over the years and is a burden for tea farmers. Also pests are getting immune and resistant to pesticides. Keeping that in mind, it was found that Integrated Pest Management ( IPM) and Integrated Nutrition Management (INM) is the way forward for sustainability of tea plantations. Healthy plants are always less susceptible to pests infestation. Healthy plants can be produced on healthy soil. Therefore focus on improvement of soil health is a major outcome of the seminar. Use of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) is also discussed at length in the seminar. Locally available trees and vegetation like Mahaneem, Ghora Neem, Dhopat Tita etc have anti insect properties. Also cow urine diluted with water is effective in controlling some pests and acts as a growth promoter of crops. Botanicals fermented in cow urine also help in controlling pests. Less use of pesticides, rejuvenation of soil health, adopt more ecological practices, creating an environment for natural predators to survive, planting of some fruit trees, growing of some variety of flowers, use of some vegetation and flowers as natural barriers against pests and proper implementation of cultural methods were key takeaways from the seminar. The seminar ended with a strong conviction that yes we can bring down levels of pest incidence by an eco-friendly approach ', said Bidyananda Borkakoty, Adviser, North Eastern Tea Association.