Perceptions of Prof M P Srivastava
( Haryana Agricultural University, Gurgaon122011, India,, E-mail: mpsrivastava28@gmail.com)
On Plant Physician, Pesticides, Environment and IPM through Plant Health Clinic
[Balanced view on pesticides – need to sensitize users and advisors & Promoting IPM towards a better tomorrow]
Professor Srivastava, a pathologist with over 50 years of experience has been Director Planning and Professor & Head of Plant Pathology of Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar .He started his professional career in 1962 as Research Assistant working on post-harvest diseases of fruits and earning Ph.D.in 1967. He joined Haryana Agricultural University in1967 and after working for a decade on diseases of Rice and Cotton, joined as Extension Plant Pathologist in 1976 and emerged as one of the leading extension pathologist of India. He has been very popular amongst farmers, field functionaries because of his diagnostic ability, communication skill providing suitable prescription and passion to serve the farmers. He had the distinction of being first agricultural scientist to win Best Extension Scientist Award instituted by Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 1986. Today he is the winner of several awards and honor, such as Dr Radhakrishnan Gold Medal, International Technological Achievement Award and India Pride Award- lifetime Achievement Award in Plant Protection: Technology transfer, Food Security & Plant Clinic; amongst others. He has the distinction of organizing evening session on plant clinic during 8th ICPP in Turin, Italy 2008 and heading International Working Group on plant Clinic; delivering many Invited Keynote address in ICPP 2003 in New Zealand, ICPP 2013 in Beijing amongst others. His popularity as savior of farmers did not diminish and even after taking over as professor. Farmers preferred to seek his advice. He believes that most of the losses due to pests occur due to lack of timely diagnostic and advisory support. Diagnosis is as important as providing prescription or remedial measures. Since at this stage only pesticides or fungicides can provide respite, a pathologist has to have thorough knowledge about fungicides, which many of them lack, and therefore a pest advisor carry a bad name by recommending wrong pesticides, which fail to provide relief to the grower
Pesticides undoubtedly have played an important role in pest management in crops and public health. Their intelligent use will continue to play an important role in food production in view of unabated rise in population (Weller et al, 2014). Srivastava (1999) citing their importance in plant protection considers pesticides as necessary evil in plant protection, but are also responsible for various kind of hazards, for which squarely blame goes on pesticides, which is not true. In fact misuse and abuse of pesticides have created more problems. Pesticides, in fact are the integral component of the pest management system,. Pesticides came into controversy with the publication of Silent Spring in 1962 by a biologist-turned journalist. Rachel Carson, which may be considered as laying foundation to Integrated Pest Management. Irrespective of her opposition, pesticide discovery continued and several new generation fungicides were developed, which are able to control downy mildews, blast, phytophtoras, for which earlier copper or zineb were used with little success. These pesticides are used in small quantities and are safe to bio-diversity.
Dr Srivastava is neither a protagonist of pesticides nor opponent of IPM. As professor and a practical practitioner he has tried to nullify some of the misconception in a recent paper “Plant Physician, Pesticides and Environment” that appeared in Agropages, March 3 , 2015, and has been appreciated by over a dozen people, besides comment by Dr Indulkar,who writes”, he has tried to present a balanced approach on fungicides, which many of us lack though a very interesting article. which I am reproducing for the benefit of our readers, He had also organized an Advance course on Fungicides for scientists of state agricultural university, which did not mean that IPM is most suitable system for managing plant pests. And therefore he introduced a course at Post-graduate course on Integrated Plant diseases – a first of its kind in the Plant pathology department. Even in giving remedial measures he has highlighted use of integrated pest management.
As Secretary General of International Plant Protection Societies, I offer my compliments to Prof Srivastava to remove misgivings on pesticides. I also believe that Dr Srivastava was the first Head of the Department of Plant Pathology to introduction an exclusive course on Integrated Plant Disease management. Pesticides have always been in controversy in spite of their contribution in pest management of crops and their utility in domestic pest management and public health. Diagnosis is a experience- driven process, and therefore the Pathologists should be an experienced person with ample knowledge about pesticides and related disciplines – more importantly entomology and nematology.. When a farmer visits the clinic, he hopes that most of the problem is likely to be solved but wrong decisions in recommendation of pesticides could be suicidal to the farmer and demise of the grower could lead to taking procession and showing their anguish to the government.
Viewpoint & Interview
Mar. 3, 2015
Plant Physician, Pesticides & Environment
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Author:Dr. M. P. Srivastava
Tags: Plant Physician, Pesticides, Environment, Fungicide
Dr. M. P. Srivastava
Dr. M. P. Srivastava is a distinguished Plant Pathologist with 50 years of experience. Formerly Director and Professor & Head Plant Pathology Haryana agr University; Currently Chairperson XSGrowth Plant Health Clinic(www.xsgrowth.com). His key areas of interest have been Transfer of Technology, Pesticides/Fungicides, IPM and plant Health Clinic. In the field of pesticides, he organized an advanced course on Fungicides in 1998 for scientists of state agricultural universities of India, brought out a comprehensive manual and has served as expert member on Pesticide panel of DST, Govt of India.
Plant physician or plant doctor plays the same role for treating plant ailments, as a physician for treating human ailments. What an irony! No one asks the doctor as to why lots of chemical medicines are being prescribed? If the patient reports of insomnia like condition, the doctor prescribes sleeping pills. If the patient consumes more than the recommended dose, it becomes fatal? Are you not aware of fatality due to over-consumption of sleeping pills? Should we ban sleeping pills? Do medicines not have side effects? Yet the doctor will prescribe medicine and hardly in few cases recommend yoga, meditation and exercises depending upon the condition of the patients.
Same holds true for plant ailments too. Why so much of hue and cry against pesticides when these are recommended by plant doctor? Like medicines, pesticides are the handy tool in the hands of plant physician? He cannot practice without pesticides. It does not mean that in all eventuality pesticides need to be recommended as a matter of rule. When a farmer visits the plant doctor, he is first interested in saving the crop. And truly speaking at that moment of time only pesticide can offer some respite. The wisdom of the plant doctor lies in recommending safe eco-friendly pesticides. Most of the hazards are due to lack of wisdom and foresightedness of the doctor. I have no hesitation in expressing that many pest advisors are not well versed with so called Materia Medica of plant pests. It is worth mentioning that there are many recent generation pesticides which are
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