Extent of Pesticidal Usage in Solanaceous Vegetables with Feasible Deleterious Effects on the Environment and Intervention for their Rational Use

The studies on the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in solanaceous vegetables revealed that majority of the growers used them to control the various harmful insects and diseases and increase the soil fertility and productivity. However they opined that the usage of these agrochemicals was their coercion and they were not happy particularly with the extreme usage of pesticides. The respondents apprehended that these agrochemicals had poisoned the soil system and have degraded the quality and the taste of the vegetable produce. These were responsible for the induction of the disease and disorders in plants, animals, human beings and had ill effect on the biodiversity, ecological food chain, soil fertility and soil micro-organisms. These agrochemicals polluted the air, ground water and irrigation water. Scientists of local Research Institutes launched a campaign in training and guiding farmers from some of the villages like Jarad, Suibraw, Kalheli, Haat and Targali regarding the use of only need based pesticides and ecofriendly control of pests and diseases and use of environmentally safe pesticides like plant products, bacterial and viral preparations. As a sequel to it, the farmers are now controlling insect pests and diseases in crops like tomato with 3–4 pesticidal sprays and in brinjal and capsicum with 2–3 sprays each.