The national economy has undergone considerable diversification over the years but the agricultural sector remains the largest sector for socio-economic development.

It contributes optimal percentage to the GDP and accounts for 50 per cent of the total employed labour force. It also happens to be the biggest source of foreign exchange earning by serving as a base for major industries like textile, sugar etc. It contributes to growth by providing raw materials as well as being a market for industrial products. Therefore, agriculture is substantially involved in the growth of the overall gross domestic product.

The country's ever-increasing population warrants improvement in agriculture for boosting the yield of crops. Low yield may be due to quality of inputs, and pests and disease attacks. The losses due to unhealthy crops are variable but their cumulative effect is considerable.

Organisms considered harmful to humans or their interests, including plants are called pests. They may also include plants or animals that carry or cause disease, destroy crops and their structures.

Pest causes disturbance, deviation or abnormality in normal function and structure of the crop and leads to losses. Chemicals which are involved in controlling these agents are usually referred to as insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, antibiotics, herbicides or we decides - all are pesticides.

Plant protection measures help in increasing per hectare yield by protecting the crops from damages by controlling the pests. However, a continuous process of research and education needs to be embarked upon to minimize the pest and disease losses.

It must also be understood that the use of pesticides is not a last remedy to protect crops, because they are equally poisonous to all living things, including humans. Even the pesticides harm livestock, poultry, fishes and humans.

A proper use of pesticides is a pre-requisite by adopting the integrated pest management (IPM), integrated plant disease management (IPMD), or the integrated weed management (IWD) as mentioned by crop protection specialists from time to time.

The word integrated signifies combination, implemented as bringing together of individual control measures into a collective operation. There are many methods, which are applicable, either by adopting single or in combination. But the use of several techniques in unison usually is more successful and most efficient than any one method.

The IPM or the IWD can lead to less expensive agricultural production technology, substantial reduction in pesticide use, a greater stability in vegetation system, and an improved environment due to a mix of biological, cultural and chemical practices.

Biological control is the control of pests and diseases with natural enemies; it has numerous advantages over chemical control. Since all management practices are interrelated, it is very difficult to simplify a single methodology.

Biological control is a vital component of the IPM and plays a key role in the control of pests and diseases with numerous advantages over chemical methods. These includes high level control at low cost, absence of harmful effects on crops, domestic animals, humans working in the fields, wildlife and other beneficial organisms.

The ability of natural enemies to reproduce rapidly and to search out their host in bio-control measures and their survival at a relatively low host density provides an added impetus in its effective adaptation.

Looking at the above scenario, the main goal of agricultural education, research and extension institutes/organizations should be to overcome the problems through creating conducive academic and research environment, produce well-equipped manpower in agriculture and meet the international standards of education and applied research aimed at bringing a quantum jump in yields and production, and to alleviate poverty, particularly in rural Pakistan, through dissemination of the newly evolved technologies.

These objectives could be achieved through restructuring of the organizational set-up, development of human resource, provision and facilitation of infrastructure, and identification of the focussed research area. In this regard 27 focused areas of research and activities have been identified, including three related to the IPM.

The main activities of focused research will be to establish the Institute of Plant Diseases and Control, Institute of IPM, and the Agro-Chemical Testing and Evaluation Facility.

The establishment of "Agriculture Advisory Services Cell" at the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam to coordinate and institutionalize outreach efforts in effective manner is also in focused areas, through which, the research results will be disseminated to the benefit of all stakeholders, including the farmers with particular reference to the role of biological control in plant protection.

(The author is Vice Chancellor, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam).