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Lead Centre: ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), Bangalore
Background and Rationale
Insects and many other arthropods evolved nearly 400 million years ago – much before the flowering plants. Their diversity, adaptation and resilience is reflected in their radiation into almost all ecosystems of the world comprising more than half of all described species on earth. All ecosystems from deserts to forests to soils and even aquatic systems are occupied by insects. Nearly 1–2 % affect crop plants as pests and as vectors of plant and animal diseases. The role played by insects as pollinators ensuring plant diversity, so vital for our agriculture in the coming years is not fully understood. Similarly in the field of soil biology and ecology hundreds of thousands of insects play vital roles in maintaining soil equilibrium. The microbial interaction and evolutionary mechanisms in insect – bacteria/ fungi / virus and mycoplasma systems and the role of many endosymbionts at the cellular level is only being realized as the years roll by.

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Objectives

  1. Mapping of agriculturally important arthropods and other invertebrates (AIA&Is) (in agricultural ecosystems including soil and aquatic organisms)
    • Parasitoids / predators / pests
    • Soil organisms
    • Vertebrates
    • Microbes

  2. To study the effect of invasives on local biodiversity.
  3. To understand biodiversity with specific reference to arthropod transmitted diseases.
  4. To study pollinator diversity.
  5. To study biodiversity in relation to pest management.
  6. Effect of pesticides on insect biodiversity.
  7. To understand insect biodiversity in pristine ecosystems like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, silent valley, etc.
  8. To identify critical missing links in IPR / legal issues.

Targets/ Activities

  1. Region-wise national survey for the collection AIA&Is.
  2. Morphological, genetic and molecular studies (barcodes, etc.) of AIA&Is and entomopathogenic organisms.
  3. Cataloguing, mapping and development of databases of AIA&Is.
  4. Evolving techniques for ex situ conservation of AIA&Is.
  5. Insect faunal dynamics vis-a –viscrop diversity.

Copyright (C) 2016 All Rights Resereved, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources,
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture (Govt. of India), Pusa Campus, New Delhi-110012, INDIA