RPSC Agriculture Officer 2011

Analysis of pest population dynamics:

• Emergence: Biological emergence of adults from pupae.
• Divergence: Evolutionary separation of populations.
• Resilience: Capacity of an agroecosystem to recover after stress.
• Resurgence: Rapid and abnormal rebound of target or secondary pest populations to densities significantly higher than pre-treatment levels following pesticide application, primarily triggered by the destruction of natural predators and parasitoids.

Analysis of jassid economic threshold levels:

• 2: For cotton jassid/leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula), the Economic Threshold Level (ETL) triggering chemical spray is 1–2 nymphs per leaf or initial yellowing and slight curling along leaf margins.
• 4: Substantial injury already underway.
• 6: Advanced hopperburn injury occurs.
• 7-8: Far above threshold leading to complete leaf scorching.

Analysis of pesticide trade names:

• Dichlorvos: Marketed as Nuvan / DDVP.
• Malathion: Marketed as Cythion.
• Chlorpyriphos: Marketed as Dursban / Radar.
• Dimethoate: Rogor 30% EC is the trade formulation of Dimethoate, a systemic organophosphate insecticide used against sucking pests.

Analysis of locust vulnerability in India:

• Madhya Pradesh: Receives secondary invasion during massive plagues.
• Rajasthan: Serves as the primary entry route and breeding zone for desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) swarms migrating from desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan through Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Bikaner; the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) is headquartered at Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
• Uttar Pradesh: Rarely experiences primary locust incursions.
• Haryana: Border districts occasionally affected.