Bullock’s Heart Tree

26-08-2023

11:06 AM

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1 min read
Bullock’s Heart Tree Blog Image

Overview:

A Research intern at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) recently won the prize for developing a cost-effective bio-insecticide from the leaves of bullock’s heart tree (Annona reticulata), popularly known as Ramphal.

About Bullock’s Heart Tree:

  • Bullock heart tree’s extracts have traditionally been used to cure conditions including dysentery and pediculosis (louse infestation)
  • Extracts from its leaves may be useful against three destructive pests — Pod borer, Green peach aphid and fall armyworm — with a mortality rate of 78-88 per cent, the research claimed. All these pests are known for incurring crop losses to farmers.
  • It is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree in the plant family Annonaceae and part of the Annonas group.
  • It is best known for its fruit, called custard apple, a common name shared with fruits of several other species in the same genus: A.cherimola and A. squamosa.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

  • ICRISAT is a non-profit agricultural research organization.
  • It was founded in 1972 by a consortium of organizations convened by the Ford and the Rockefeller Foundations.
  • Its charter was signed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 


Q1) What is FAO?

Established in 1945, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an international organisation that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations and contribute to global economic growth.

Source: Down to Earth