Alert for farmers, fall armyworm attacking crops
Correspondent
AIZAWL, May 11, 2019: In view of the recent attack of the Caterpillar by the name of Fall Armyworm in the State of Manipur and Mizoram and in some parts of Kohima and the devastation caused by the attack on agricultural crops, all Departments in these states have been advised to advise the district officials to take preventive measures and be prepared for such eventualities.
Agriculture experts stated that the fall armyworm infestation has been reported from Kohima district on maize crop cultivation. Fall armyworm is an invasive pest damaging the entire field within few days of its infestation. Fall armyworm is an exotic pest and can feed on 80 (eighty) different crops, but the main impact is on maize crop.
This is a topic of concern for farmers and the scientist across the country. Therefore the Department has requested the DAOs of the district to immediately start with the monitoring, surveillance and pest scouting for immediate control measures. The important steps to be taken into account are timely application of plant protection measures to avoid spreading, creation of awareness to the stake holders and management strategies at community level.