Bullock’s Heart Tree

Dec. 19, 2022

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).