A patent has been granted for a technology developed by the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) here for manufacturing biopesticides from cassava (tapioca) leaves.
The Patent Office, Government of India, has granted the patent to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) for the ‘Apparatus and process for extraction of biopesticides from cassava biowastes’.
The biopesticides were developed in 2010 by a team led by C.A. Jayaprakas, Principal Scientist (Crop Production), ICAR-CTCRI. “The leaves of cassava, or the tapioca as it is better known in tropical countries, are usually discarded due to the presence of cyanogen, an anti-nutrient factor. The bioactive molecules were isolated by our team for formulating three biopesticides. Extensive field verification has shown that they are effective against a spectrum of insect pests in horticultural crops,” Dr. Jayaprakas said. The biopesticides developed by the CTCRI have been arbitrarily named ‘Nanma’, ‘Menma’, and ‘Shreya’.
“Tapioca is better known for its tubers. But the leaves are a treasure house of many valuable molecules,” he said. In collaboration with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the CTCRI is also exploring other vital molecules from tapioca leaves, according to him.
The application for the patent was filed in 2012, Sheela M.N., acting director of ICAR-CTCRI, said. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the ISRO facility at Thumba here, has played a role in the development of the biopesticides by designing the first generation machinery used in the extraction process.
CTCRI has also developed a biofumigant from tapioca leaves.
