Plant Breeding for Developing Resistance to Insect Pests

A large scale damage is caused to the crop plants and their products by insect attack and pest infestation.

In some crop plants insect resistance may be found due to morphological, biochemical or physiological character.

Hairy leaves in some plants are associated with resistance to insect pests.

E.g.

- resistance to jassids in cotton.

- Smooth leaved and nectar-less cotton varieties are not attacked by the bollworms.

- Maize variety with high aspartic acid, low nitrogen and sugar content, is not affected by maize stem borers.

 Plant breeding for developing resistance to insect pests also involves similar procedure and steps which are used for developing any other agronomic character.

Some improved insect pest resistant varieties produced by hybridisation and selection are;

 In Brassica:

- (rapeseed mustard) variety "Pusa Gaurav" is resistant to Aphids.

 In Okra (Bhindi):

- variety "Pusa Sawni" and Pusa A-4 to shoot and fruit borer.