BHAWANIPATNA: AFTER rain, farmers of Kalahandi district are now worried over pest attack including the dreaded fall armyworm (FAW) on standing paddy and maize crops.While fall army worm was first noticed in Kalahandi in August last year, this year the FAW insect has been seen in maize crops over 2,000 hectare at Koksara, Kesinga, M.Rampur and Karlamumda blocks. This Kharif season, maize has been grown in 12,947 hectare.
Last year, FAW was sighted in maize crops in Salepali village under Dadpur gram panchayat of Bhawanipatna block, Manjhari and Kanakpur villages of Golamunda block and Degaon village under Gokuleswar gram panchayat in Kesinga block and with timely intervention, it could be controlled.
At the larvae stage, the worm causes damage to crops, feeding on more than 80 plant species.
After developing into a moth, it can fly up to 100 km in a night. Agriculture officials said last year, farmers were made aware of ways to contain the FAW and they are using the techniques this year to bring the situation under control.
Similarly, pests like stem borer, cash worm, leaf folder, and plant diseases like brown leaf blight have been reported in paddy crops grown in both irrigated and non-irrigated pockets of the district. The worst affected areas are Kesinga and Bhawanipatna blocks which are non-irrigated while in pockets irrigated by Indravati, pests have been reported in Jaipatna, Koksara and Junagarh blocks. Crops in about 30,000 hectare of land have been affected so far.
The chief district agriculture officer Narendra Behera informed that pest infection has so far remained below the economic threshold level - the extent of crop damage at which the value of the crop destroyed exceeds the cost of controlling the pest. He added that variation in temperature is the reason behind pest attack. “Farmers are being provided pesticides at 50 pc subsidy to control the situation”, he said, adding that paddy has been grown in over 2 lakh hectare in the district in this kharif season.