Advisory issue for Jharkhand farmers regarding Ameriacan insects attacks

American fall armyworm has become a nuisance in many districts of Jharkhand. These fast spreading insects are eating the maize crop. Maize is the second largest crop in Jharkhand after paddy. On the one hand, there is a crisis in the Kharif crop due to scanty rains, on the other hand, farmers are facing a double whammy due to the destruction of the maize crop due to the attack of American insects. These insects are also entering houses. There are many areas where people are keeping the doors and windows of their houses closed for fear of them. People living in forested areas are the most troubled. In Navagarh Chowk area of Angada police station area of Ranchi district, insects created such a panic that all the shops in the area had to be closed for seven-eight days.

In rural areas of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Koderma, Chatra, Palamu, Latehar, Garhwa, Dhanbad, Giridih districts also, these insects have caused widespread damage to maize crops. According to agricultural experts, the name of this American insect is 'Spodoptera fujiparda'. This insect is making holes in the leaves of maize. They completely lick the plant in 15-20 days. The insects have completely eaten away the leaves of the sal-sakhua tree in many forested areas. These leaves are the basis of livelihood of thousands of villagers. The villagers earn their livelihood by making pots and pans from leaves.

Here, the Agriculture Department has issued an advisory for the farmers cultivating maize in view of the outbreak of insects. He has immediately advised to adopt other measures including use of insecticide to save the crop from this pest.

According to experts, for the first time in 2018, the American pest Spodoptera fujiparda was seen in the maize field in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. After this it was also confirmed in Uttar Pradesh-Bihar. Now its presence has been found in many districts of Jharkhand. Apart from maize, this destructive pest also damages paddy, cabbage, sugar beet, sugarcane, groundnut, soyabean, onion, tomato and potato crops.

Scientists doing research on maize say that the continuous change in temperature is affecting the crops of maize more. This fall armyworm pest damages the stem of maize crop and stunts the growth of the plant. This very small looking worm can spread up to 100 kilometers in 24 hours. If it is not treated in time, these insects make holes in the leaves of maize plants. In such a situation, farmers are being advised to spray a solution of chloropyriphos and cypermethine to save maize.