Effect of Time Delay in Controlling Crop Pest Using Farming Awareness

In this article, a prey–predator type mathematical model has been proposed for studying the effect of time delay in controlling crop pest using farming awareness based interventions. It is assumed that the use biological pesticides is proportional with the density of pest present in the plantation. Moreover, time lag arises in implementing awareness based interventions by farmers. The existence and stability of the steady states have been investigated. Stability switches occur through Hopf bifurcation. The direction and stability of Hopf bifurcation has been analysed using normal form theory and central manifold theorem. Numerical simulations are performed to support analytical results and to illustrate different dynamical regimes that can be observed in the model. We have found that raising farming awareness based biocontrols with tolerable time delay can lead to eradication of pests in crop fields. © 2019, Springer Nature India Private Limited.