Insect makes up the most diverse and abundant group of plant consumers. These herbivorous insects may attack plants below ground as well as above the ground affecting significantly in decreasing yield of economically important plant products all over the world. On the other hand growing need of the world population demands for the improvement in the yield of food crop both qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Incidentally, plant sap sucking insects serve as a major threat to the yield of many crop species. It has been known that lectins and protease inhibitors showed greatest potential for exploitation in transgenic based pest control strategies. In view of that a lectin from edible plant source (Colocasia esculenta tuber) was purified and investigated on economically harmful pests like Mustard aphid, White fly etc. to ensure their effective participation in future pest management programmes. The present invention deals with a process for isolation, purification and characterization of the insecticidal lectin of Colocasia esculenta tuber.
