ICFRE - Himalayan Forest Research Institute

FOREST PROTECTION DIVISION

Mandate

• Development of economical and environmentally acceptable pest management strategies on seed, nursery, plantation and natural forest.
• To evolve sound disease management strategies for enhancement of forest productivity. 

 Thrust Area

• Undertake research on insect pests and diseases of important tree species of the region and to develop protocol for their management. 
• To study the factors causing build up of insect pest and pathogen population on selected tree species and develop viable eco-friendly management practices.
• To develop integrated insect pest and disease control models.
• To develop methodologies and techniques to assess the incidence of damage caused by insect pest and pathogens in natural forest, nurseries and plantations.
• Develop collaborative research for evolving insect pest and pathogen resistant phenotypes of selected tree species with the active support of the state forest department.
• Investigate the queries on insect pest and disease problems raised by the state forest department, NGOs and farmers and to suggest management techniques of their control.
• Establishment of infrastructure for insect pathology, biological control laboratory, insectary, insectarium and other emerging frontiers of forest protection.

Completed Projects: 

  A. Plan Projects:    

1. Development of model for integrated pest management with special reference to Cedrus deodara (Roxb) G. Don. PI: Dr. Ranjeet Singh (April, 2000 to March, 2006) 
2. Screening and selection of insect pest resistant phenotypes/ genotypes of important tree species. (Pinus roxburghii Sarg., Cedrus deodara (Roxb) G. Don  and Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.). PI: Dr. Ranjeet Singh  (April, 2000 to March, 2006) 
3. Bio-ecological studies on Ectropis deodarae Prout. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), A pest of deodar in the Western Himalayas. PI: Dr. Ranjeet Singh (April, 2002 to March, 2006)
4. Natural enemy complex of key and potential pests of five Quercus spp. Of Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. S. Chakrabarti (April, 2003 to March. 2008)
5. Survey, biology and control of important insect-pests of  medicinal plants of Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr.  Ranjeet Singh  (April, 2005 to March, 2010) 
6. Management of insect borer complex in Chir-Pine forests. PI: Dr. Ranjeet Singh  (April, 2006 to March, 2012) 
7. Survey and bioecology of potential insect-pests and pathogens of cone and seeds of Pinus gerardiana Wall. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar (april, 2008 to March, 2010)
8. Management of Indian Gypsy Moth (Lymantria obfuscata) in Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. S. Chakrabarti (April, 2008 to March. 2013). 
9. Management of insect-pests & pathogens of seeds of Pinus gerardiana Wall. in storage. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar (April, 2010 to March, 2013) 
10. Productivity enhancement through selection of superior clones of Dalbergia sissoo (PSIP) PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar  (April, 2007 to March, 2013) 
11. Study on the influence of climate on bionomics of Pityogenes scitus Blanford -(Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. Ranjeet Singh  (April, 2011 to March, 2016) 
12. Biology and management of insect pests of seeds of Juniperus polycarpos C. Koch and evaluating the insect-pests resistance performance in the nursery for three years. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar  (April, 2012 to March, 2015) 
13. Studies on changing forest insect-pests status of high altitude transitional zones and their management in Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar  (June, 2016 to March, 2021)

  B. External Aided Projects

1. Taxonomy, biodiversity and habitat association of Noctuid Moths (Lepidoptera:   Noctuidae) in various conifer forests of Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar (September, 2008 to March, 2012) 
2. Taxonomy and molecular analysis (through RAPD-PCR) of Moths (Lepidoptera) of cold deserts (Spiti and Leh) of Indian Himalayas. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar  (April, 2012 to March, 2015) 
3. Biological control of Thysanoplusia orichalsia (F) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): A potential insect- pest of Saussurea costus in North-Western Himalayas and extension of protection technology to local communities. PI: Dr. Ranjeet Singh  (November, 2013 to October, 2016)  
4. Ecological studies on distribution patterns and food plant resources of butterflies along altitudinal gradients in different ecosystems of western Himalayan sub-alpine forests of Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar  (April, 2013 to November, 2016)    
5. Bio-diversity, habitat associations and GIS Mapping of Noctuid Moths (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) of Chir Pine forest of Jammu province (Jammu & Kashmir), India. PI: Dr. Subhash Chandra  (April, 2016 to March, 2019) 
6. Conservation of Pinus gerardiana through mycorrhizal biotechnology. PI: Dr. Ashwani  Tapwal  (April, 2016 to March, 2019) 
7. Studies on improving livelihood generation through scientific intervention in Pinus gerardiana wall. and important wild mushrooms in H.P. PI: Dr. Ashwani  Tapwal (October, 2017- February 2021)

Ongoing projects 

  A. Plan projects

1. Studies on changing forest Insect-pests status of high altitude transitional zones and their management in Himachal Pradesh. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar  (Phase-II April, 2021 to March, 2023)  
2. Studies on effect of AM Inoculations on the active ingredient contents and biomass production in Angelica glauca Edgew. and Valeriana jatamansi Jones. PI: Dr. Ashwani Tapwal (April, 2019 to  March, 2024)
3. Insect pest of western Himalayan oaks and their control. PI: Dr. Pawan Kumar (October, 2019 to March, 2022)
4. Study on impact of mycorrhizal inoculations on the growth and field performance of Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana. PI Dr. Ashwani Tapwal (April 2021 to March,2026)

  B. External Aided Projects        

1.  Ecological monitoring and GIS Mapping of microlepidoptera diversity of deodar (Cedrus deodara) forests of Himachal Pradesh. PI Dr. Pawan Kumar (August 2019- August 2022)  

 C. AICRP Projects        

1. All India coordinated research project on Dalbergia sissoo. PI. Dr. Ashwani Tapwal (Feb. 2020 to Dec. 2025)
2. Development of Biopesticides products/formulations from extract of tree borne oil seeds and tissues of wild plants for management of pests. PI. Dr. Pawan Kumar (Dec. 2019 to Mar. 2024)
3. Study of Climate driven effects on Indian forests through long term monitoring.  

                        Component -C – Pollinators  

                        Component –D- Mycology 

Major Equipments

  Man power

Nursery: Field Research Station, Shillaru, Shimla

For further information, please contact:
 Dr. Pawan Kumar, Scientist- E & Head of Division  Forest Protection Division
Email:        kumarp@icfre.org
Phone:       0177-2816108, Mobile No.: 094180-55916