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Patna,(BiharTimes): Researcher scholars of Botany Department of Patna University have made a breakthrough in controlling the spread of diseases in plants. A team of researcher led by a Professor and three scholars under him developed a new technique to control growth of microbes, which infest crops like mustard, potato and pigeon pea (Arhar) by using another strain of microbe isolated from the soil of Patna. |
The method is known as Allelopathy or biological control. It is both eco-friendly and cost effective and is likely to prove a boon to farmers of Bihar, who suffer huge financial losses every year due to infestation in the standing crops.
While talking to BiharTimes one of the members of the team, Irshad Husain, a research scholar said, the breakthrough comes at the time when researchers across the world have been busy exploring alternative methods to fight infestation as the use of chemical pesticides poses threat to the nutritional quality of the food stuff as well as the environment.
The research was carried under the supervision of Dr U K Sinha, the Head, Department of Botany. It was sponsored by the University Grants Commission in 2009 with Dr Chaudhary Sharfuddin, appointed as the principal investigator.
The research team isolated local strains of soil inhibiting fungi Trichoderma viridae and T-harzianum––and used them against some common plant diseases of Bihar like late blight of potato, white rust of mustard and wilt of pigeon pea, caused by different microbes (bacteria).
According to Prof Sharfuddin, a detail report on the methodology and result has already been sent for publication in a research journal from Canada. The observation made in lab conditions confirmed total control of the disease through this method.
He said Allelopathy is the only eco-friendly method to control plant diseases and that the team has begun work on other fungal microbial strains for assessing their efficacy against infestation.
Prof Sharfuddin also said that impressed by the research work the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, has now sanctioned a major research project of Rs 46 lakh to the Botany Department of the Patna University for setting up sophisticated biological control lab.
The research team included Dr Chandan Kumar, Dr Ghazala Tabassum and Irshad Husain.
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