ABSTRACT
In 1999, the world population crossed the 6 billion mark. Presently, 80% of the world’s population live in what are considered to be the lesser developed countries (LDCs). Demographers predict that the world population will continue rising, reaching 10 billion by the year 2050 despite declining birth rates. The majority of this increase will occur in the developing countries, thereby adding another 2-4 billion people to the nations of the LDCs. It is foreseen that the population density in the developing countries will increase from approximately 55 persons/km2 at present to 90-100 people/km2 by 2050 (1). Many believe that the single most important challenge facing mankind for the coming decades is increasing population. Thus, there is a continuing need to increase food production, particularly in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This increase has to come from increased yields from major crops grown on existing cultivatable lands, perhaps on shrinking land area. Though increasing the yield is the goal, minimizing the pest-associated losses will save the harvested yield. The pest-associated loss is estimated at 14% of the total agricultural production (2). Insects not only cause direct loss to the agricultural produce but also have an indirect effect due to their role as vectors of various plant pathogens. Moreover, application of pesticides to control the insect population results in adverse effects on the beneficial organisms, leaves pesticide residues in the food, and finally, poses pollution problems. Thus, there is a greater need to develop alternative or additional technologies that would allow a judicious use of pesticides and provide adequate crop protection for sustainable food production.
