ABOUT THE PROJECT

In 1983 the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi sponsored the All India Multilocational Research Project on Agricultural Acarology with eight centres across the country. Significant contributions and systematic expansion of acarological research under this project paved way for the establishment of a full fledged All India Coordinated Research Project on Agricultural Acarology with eight co-operating centres which became operational from 1987. The eight co-operating centres were UAS centre at Bangalore (Karnataka), TNAU centre at Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), GAU centre at Navsari (Gujarat), PAU centre at Ludhiana (Punjab), HAU centre at Hisar (Haryana), BHU centre at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), RAU centre at Pusa (Bihar) and BCKV centre at Kalyani (West Bengal) with the Project coordinating unit situated at UAS, Bangalore. RAU and HAU centres were in operation upto 30.09.1999. Till date the Project has completed two Plan periods successfully with commendable and significant research contributions in both basic and applied acarology. Acarological research is gaining importance as many of the mite species hitherto known as minor pests have turned out to be major pests causing significant economic damage. Out break of mites as pests is not an off-shoot of only intensive cultivation of crops during summer season, but also due to injudicious use of broad spectrum pesticides, which do not spare the natural enemies of these mites thus, causing an ecological imbalance. Upsurge of mite pests is also another havoc created by these pesticides. Currently the research under the Project is oriented on all types of crops including cereals, pulses, vegetable crops, flower crops, fruit crops and plantation crops and the Project is being named as All India Network Project on Agricultural Acarology in the IX Five Year Plan.