Question

Ashta project of IPM refers to management of pests in

• A. Wheat
• B. Rice
• C. Cotton
• D. Sugarcane

Hint:

The Ashta pilot project is synonymous with community-based cotton pest management in India.
Remember this association to quickly answer historical IPM extension questions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Large-scale implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is often evaluated through pilot village projects to assess economic and ecological sustainability.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The "Ashta" project was a highly successful, landmark community-based IPM implementation program carried out in Ashta village (Nanded district, Maharashtra, India).
Cotton is historically one of the most pesticide-intensive crops in India, suffering severely from pest complexes like the bollworm complex and sucking pests.
The excessive and indiscriminate use of synthetic pyrethroids led to pest resurgence, insecticide resistance, and secondary pest outbreaks in cotton.
To address this crisis, the National Centre for Integrated Pest Management (NCIPM) launched a pilot project in Ashta village.
The project focused on a village-level cooperative approach implementing IPM modules such as pest monitoring through pheromone traps, growing resistant varieties, conservation of natural enemies (like Chrysoperla and trichogrammatid wasps), and utilizing neem-based formulations.
This project drastically reduced the chemical pesticide spray frequency on cotton while sustaining high crop yields, serving as a successful model for national cotton IPM strategies.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The Ashta project of IPM refers to the management of pests in Cotton.