SURVEY ON INDIGENOUS BOTANICALS USED BY TEA PLANTERS FOR CONTROL OF PESTS AND DISEASES OF TEA, CAMELLIA SINENSIS (L.) O. KUNTZE IN THE NORTH BENGAL REGION, INDIA

Tea crop protection is an essential component of tea cultivation to safeguard tea plants from damage by pests, diseases, and other disorders.Tea plantations in North East India use a several-fold higher quantity of pesticides per hectare for control of pests than the Indian average of 500g/ha 1 .Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative pest control methods to boost the production and quality of tea.The present work is an attempt to document the plants used in the bioformulations against pests and may be the first-ever report of this kind from North Bengal, India.