Application of Biodegradable
Pesticides in India
C. R. Krishna Murti and T. S. S. Dikshith
10.1. INTRODUCTION
10
Ever since man organized agriculture as a profession, pesticides in some form
or another have been in use in plant protection. The rapid strides of the last four
decades resulting from the synthesis, manufacture, and application of new manmade chemical compounds in pest control have, however, brought about the
dramatic changes in agriculture. By keeping in check many species of unwanted
pests and weeds, pesticides have made a great impact on the production and
preservation of food, fiber, and other cash crops. The introduction of pesticides
has initiated revolutionary changes in farm practice, leading to the incredible
possibility that hunger can be banished forever from the earth. So much for the
credits of pesticides.
The debits of pesticides have given rise to many serious health and environmental problems. Most of the chlorinated nondegradable pesticides tend to
leave residues in living organisms. These residues are retained by the organisms
for prolonged periods of their life span and are presumably responsible for a
variety of known toxic symptoms. Even when pesticides are present in trace
amounts, their chemical diversity, potential toxicity, and persistence adversely
affect birds, fish, and trees. Furthermore, under tropical conditions, the chemical
transformation of pesticides can be expected to be relatively fast due to heat,
C. R. Krishna Murti and T. S. S.Dikshith • Industrial Toxicology Research Center, Lucknow
226001, India.
257
Pesticides in India
C. R. Krishna Murti and T. S. S. Dikshith
10.1. INTRODUCTION
10
Ever since man organized agriculture as a profession, pesticides in some form
or another have been in use in plant protection. The rapid strides of the last four
decades resulting from the synthesis, manufacture, and application of new manmade chemical compounds in pest control have, however, brought about the
dramatic changes in agriculture. By keeping in check many species of unwanted
pests and weeds, pesticides have made a great impact on the production and
preservation of food, fiber, and other cash crops. The introduction of pesticides
has initiated revolutionary changes in farm practice, leading to the incredible
possibility that hunger can be banished forever from the earth. So much for the
credits of pesticides.
The debits of pesticides have given rise to many serious health and environmental problems. Most of the chlorinated nondegradable pesticides tend to
leave residues in living organisms. These residues are retained by the organisms
for prolonged periods of their life span and are presumably responsible for a
variety of known toxic symptoms. Even when pesticides are present in trace
amounts, their chemical diversity, potential toxicity, and persistence adversely
affect birds, fish, and trees. Furthermore, under tropical conditions, the chemical
transformation of pesticides can be expected to be relatively fast due to heat,
C. R. Krishna Murti and T. S. S.Dikshith • Industrial Toxicology Research Center, Lucknow
226001, India.
257