Parasitoid to be used to control mealybug infestation in Namakkal
NAMAKKAL: As part of efforts to prevent spread of the devastating mealybug in tapioca crops, the Bengaluru-based National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR) has imported a parasitoid from Benin, a West African country. The method to introduce parasitoid, an organism, that feeds on the host is being introduced in Tamil Nadu and horticulture officials of the State are likely to be trained next week by the NBAIR.
Speaking with TNIE, Deputy Director of Horticulture (DD) K Ganesan said the Assistant Director (AD) level horticulture officials from Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri, Erode, Villupuram and Kallakurichi are set to participate in the training programme at Bengaluru.
"The mealybug, an insect which originated in Australia, reportedly made its way into India through some plant materials or unauthorised introduction. Though this was not the first time to have foreign pests without authorisation in the country, finding cassava mealybug in India was a first. In Namakkal alone, the insect has hit over 5,000 hectares of tapioca lands in recent years," the DD explained.
"After a long discussion, the NBAIR decided to import the parasitoid from Benin. As of now, it has been imported and multiplied at the research centre at Bengaluru. After attending the training programme, we can obtain more details", added K Ganesan.
Farmers P Saravanan and MG Rajendran said the mealybug infestation had a major impact on the yield and even the compensation of Rs 2,000 from the State was not enough.
The farmers also said they have lodged multiple complaints about adulteration of products and that the issue continues despite surprise visits by officials. They also expressed concerns over the prices for their products since the sago mills fix low rates. “Depending on the starch content in the tapioca, we are able to get the price. If the State government constructs a cooperative tapioca mill like sugar mills, the farmers will benefit," they opined.
But, the DD of horticulture said building a cooperative mill was unfeasible because of a fund crunch.
Tapioca production
Nigeria is the major tapioca-growing country in the world accounting for 50 per cent of area and production. In India, the crop is cultivated in Southern parts of the country particularly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh contributing 93 per cent of the area and 98 per cent of production in the country. Tamil Nadu stands first with 64 per cent in respect of tapioca production.
How parasitoids works?
A parasitoid is an organism that spends its larva stage in or on another organism, also known as the host. The parasitoid eventually kills the host and moves on to find another organism to live and feed on.