Work Packages
1. Assessment of current pesticide and fertiliser use patterns in peri-urban vegetable production:
WP1.1 Semi-structured questionnaires will be used to determine pesticide and fertiliser use patterns, including dose rate, product chosen and cost, on the five most important vegetable crops in four villages in each of the three project locations (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and south Bangladesh). In addition information on the farmers’ choice of pesticides, timing and frequency of application, knowledge of pests and diseases, understanding of cost-benefit ratios of using pesticides and fertilisers and their impact on the environment and health will be assessed to better understand what motivates their use. Farmers selected for the surveys will represent the range of social-economic groups with particular attention paid to gender issues and resource-poor farmers. Survey results will be compared with previously published data from similar areas to assess trends in pesticide use and direct costs to farmers.
2. Adaption of bio-rational alternatives to pesticides in selected vegetable crops.
WP2.1 Farmer participatory trials will be conducted on at least three vegetable crops in partnership with at least three progressive farmers’ groups in each of the three project locations to compare currently available bio-rational control technologies and methodologies with need-based pesticide and fertiliser use and normal farmers’ practice. A range of bio-rational control technologies (e.g. nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) formulations, neem kernel extracts and resistant varieties) are commercially-available. The choice of bio-rational products will depend on the results of the farmer surveys. Farmers will be provided with alternative high quality seed and provided with assistance on the availability and use of appropriate fertiliser inputs. The trials will be developed to incorporate other ICM component technologies, such as semiochemicals and egg parasitoids, as they become available.
3. Development and adaption of novel bio-rational alternatives to pesticides in vegetable crops.
WP3.1 European researchers have identified an egg parasitoid that locates its Noctuid hosts by responding to female sex pheromones. Initial work has suggested that the behavioural response is not species-specific. Work in this project will be undertaken to assess the range of this response at the behavioural level to both synthetic pheromone components and gravid females of target species, notably H. armigera and L. orbonalis. Culturing techniques will be developed to enable large-scale production of the egg parasitoid in collaboration with colleagues from India and Bangladesh.
WP3.2 Control technologies based on semiochemicals will be developed for target pest species, H. armigera, L. orbonalis and M. vitrata. The pheromones of all three species have been identified and the pheromone of H. armigera is commercially available in India (19). Project work will seek to develop effective host-odour baits for female H. armigera building on preliminary work (20) and oviposition attractants for H. armigera and L. orbonalis building on work previously conducted in India. Work is ongoing in north India and Bangladesh to develop pheromone-based control strategies for L. orbonalis (21) and the project will seek to develop this further in south India. The potential for using the pheromone of M. vitrata (22) will be investigated for use in pest monitoring and control. The need for and inclusion of pheromones of other pest species will be dependent on the results of farmer surveys in project areas. However, based on previous experience it is unlikely that other species would need to be incorporated into the programme.
WP3.3 Phytoecdysteroids (17) will be isolated from a range of plant materials and assessed, behaviourally and electrophysiologically, for antifeedant activity against H. armigera and L. orbonalis. The work will build on work funded through the Eureka program. Plants producing ecdysteroids will be provided to project partners for assessment under field conditions and promising candidates carried through for evaluation by farmers.
4. Training and dissemination of project deliverables
WP4.1 Training material will be developed for project farmers to increase their awareness of pests, diseases, pesticides, fertilisers, natural control systems and means of minimising input costs and maximising yields that are both sustainable and sympathetic to the natural environment. Course material will be based on the experience of project partners and adapted and translated for project farmers in the different project locations. Training will be effected through farmer field school programmes. The impact of training will be assessed by semi-structured interviews conducted with local farmers on pesticide and fertiliser use at the end each field season.
WP4.2 Project deliverables will be disseminated through research publications, lectures, a project workshop and farmer demonstrations. Specifically a dissemination project workshop will be held for NGOs, agricultural extension staff and vegetable researchers to promote project deliverables and exchange views with other workers in the region in the last project year. This will highlight the need for ‘good practice’ in vegetable production and provide an opportunity to assist the process of harmonisation of policies and codes of practice between the EU and south Asian countries.
5. Co-ordination of the project
WP5.1 The complex nature of the project and the institutional, geographic and cultural differences pose a challenge for the co-ordinator. Successful execution of the work will be facilitated through annual meetings of project partners and opportunities for exchange visits between researchers. Project progress will be facilitated by providing individual partners with clearly defined work programmes and associated time bound milestones and deliverables.