Answer:
Biocontrol or biological control is the method of controlling pathogenic organisms and plant pests with the help of certain living organisms. It is based on the principle of natural predation e.g.
(i) Lady bird beetles (Coccinella) are the natural predators of aphids.
(ii) Dragon flies (Sympetrum) are used to control the population of mosquitoes.
(iii) Gambusia fish is employed to eat the mosquito larvae in the water bodies.
(iv) Baculoviruses are the virus based bioinsecticides.
(v) Bt-cotton has the genes of Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria having insecticidal properties so is resistant to attack by the insect pests. In this way, biocontrol agents decrease the use of chemical insecticides which generally cause environmental pollution and eco-degradation.
Similarly certain symbiotic bacteria like Rhizobium; certain free living bacteria like Azotobacter, Clostridium, etc; certain cyanobacteria like Nostoc, Anabarna, etc. and mycorrhizae can be employed as nitrogen fixers to improve the soil fertility and decrease the use of chemical fertilizers.
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