AMRITSAR: To discourage farmers from using poisonous chemicals and promote organic farming, Khalsa College 's agriculture scientists have bred "friendly insects" in the laboratory to control harmful pests.Agriculture scientist and in charge of the college's biological control laboratory, Rajinder Pal Singh, said the "beneficial insects" either feed on crop-harming pests or lay eggs in their larvae to break their "lifecycles". The insects developed in the lab include dragon fly, spider, trichogramma brasiliensis, isotima jevenesis, coccinellide, syrphid, carabid, predatory pentatomids and abnthrocoriddbugs, he said.Khalsa College agriculture head Ramandeep Kaur Bal said there was a largesca le trend of using insecticides and pesticides among farmers. "But by controlling the pests biologically, farmers will not only save money on costly and poisonous substances, but will also produce healthier crops in a natural manner," she said.Bal said the logic was that friendly pests feed on enemy insects and scare them away too to protect the plant. Khalsa College Governing Council secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who came up with the idea behind the project, said many sugar mills and farmers had already approached them for taking regular services of their bio-control lab to protect crops from harmful insects.To begin with, he said, the college's agriculture department would be growing crops on 50 acres without the use of insecticide and pesticides. "The college will also hold farmers' meetings to raise awareness about the dangers of using chemicals.Also, we are going to expand our research in the lab," he said.

Stay updated with all the Amritsar Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.