43 foreign scientists attend 1st International Conference on Biological Control

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is sponsoring the 1st International Conference on Biological Control (ICBC) from 27 to 29 September at Hotel Le Meridien, Bangalore. The seminar is organized by ICAR- National Bureau of Agricultural insect resources (NBAIR) along with Society for Biocontrol Advancement (SBA). Around 43 scientists from Australia, Canada, UK, US, Bangladesh, Oman, Nepal, Italy etc will talk and discuss about their research findings on various aspects of biological control.

30 percent of agricultural yields worldwide are affected by pests and diseases despite intensive chemical pesticide use. Biological control of insect pests and diseases is one of the main ecosystem services provided to agriculture worldwide. Natural enemies like predators, parasitoids and pathogens here play an important role in limiting the damage caused by nature and exotic pests. The main theme of the ICBC conference is to address problems related to various biological control approaches in context of biodiversity, increased chemical pesticide pressure and climate change.

The ICBC 2018 will also focus on problems faced by researchers, farmers, commercial entrepreneurs and other stake holders regarding adoption of biological control approaches in the context of biodiversity, increased chemical pesticide pressure and climate change. Some of the highlights of the conference are - 14 lead talks, 108 oral presentations and 103 poster presentations. Around 240 delegates including 43 research scientists from different countries are participating in this conference.

The conference will also cover the following sub themes related to Biological Control

• Biodiversity and Biosecurity
• Conservation Strategies
• Biotechnological Approaches in Biocontrol
• Production and Utilization of Macrobials for Insect Pest Management
• Production and Utilization of Microbials for Insect Pest and Disease Management
• Biological Control Compatible Approaches
• Biological Control of Invasive Pests and Weeds
• Biological Control: Industrial Perspective and Policy Issues