Biotechnology
Example: Eggplant in India
OIRED is actively engaged in biotechnology projects around the world working to expand the benefits of increased agricultural production and biosafety to those in developing countries.
In India, for example, OIRED is engaged in a joint agreement with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to improve the production of eggplant, a major crop in India and Bangladesh under the IPM CRSP project.
India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world, and yet per capita consumption of vegetables there is only 140 g — far below the minimum dietary requirement of 280 g/day/person. Part of the reason is inadequate production — much of India's eggplant crop is destroyed by insects, especially shoot and fruit borers.
Add to this the fact that conventional breeding often fails in developing multiple pest and disease-resistant varieties of plants and that excessive use of pesticides has created health and environmental problems. This is where biotechnology can be helpful — addressing pest and breeding problems with a wide range of tactics including integrated pest management. Biotech has the potential to greatly reduce pesticide use and assist in the development of shoot and fruit borer-resistant eggplant.
A farmer trainer in Java examines a Nephila spider, a predator of many pests in Indonesia.