Insect Ecology: Introduction, Environment and its components.

Effect of abiotic factors—temperature, moisture, humidity, rainfall, light, atmospheric pressure and air currents.

Effect of biotic factors — food competition, natural and] environmental resistance. Agroecosystem.

IPM: Categories of pests. Introduction, history, importance, concept, principles and limitations of IPM.

Economie decision levels.

Survey, surveillance and forecasting of insect pests. Assessment of insect pest population.

Tools/ methods of IPM: Cultural, mechanical, physical, legislative, host plant resistance, biological.

Chemical control: Importance, hazards and __limitations. Classification, toxicity and formulations of insecticides.

Insecticides Act 1968-Important provisions.

Application techniques of insecticides, symptoms of poisoning, first aid and antidotes.

Recent methods of pest control- repellents, antifeedants, hormones and pheromones, attractants, gamma radiation and genetic control.

Sampling techniques for estimation of insect population and damage.

Monitoring of insect population through light and pheromone traps

Insecticides and their formulations.

Pesticide appliances: Handling and their maintenance of small kitchen garden sprayer, hand compression sprayer, knapsack sprayer, foot sprayer, power sprayer, hand rotary duster, power duster

Calculations on the doses of insecticides

Application techniques of insecticides.

Safe use of pesticides

Identification of biocontrol agents

Mass production of NPV and fungi