Agricultural Department officials inspecting the damage caused by Fall Army worm, an invasive pest, at Sukkalampatti Kombi village in Tiruchi district on Friday. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT more-in Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive pest, has spread to maize fields in Tiruchi district too. The pest attack was recently reported in Karnataka, Telangana and in Karur district in Tamil Nadu and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) had sounded an alert. The pest has been spotted in the field of Meera Shahib at Sukkalampatti Kombi village in Uppiliyapuram block in the district. The pest could devastate the crop and also spread to other crops. A team of technical experts and Agriculture Department officials led by K. Balraj, Joint Director of Agriculture, conducted a field survey and demonstration at the field on Friday. Plant protection officers from the Central Integrated Pest Management Centre and scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirugamani, and Sugarcane Research Station, Sirugamani were part of the team. “The pest incidence and crop damage was estimated up to 20%. The damage was observed as leaf perforation, defoliation and damage in central whorl with fresh faecal matter. Larvae were observed only in the central whorl and cob of the plant,” an official release issued later said. The team has recommended integrated pest management methods to control the pest including summer ploughing, synchronised early sowing, split application of nitrogenous fertilizer, collection and destruction of egg masses and larvae in field. Installation of 8-10 pheromone traps per acre to trap male insects has also been recommended. The team also recommended use of specific insecticides in rotation depending on the intensity of pest incidence. Insecticides having same mode of action should not be used repeatedly. Spray nozzle should be directed towards the leaf whorl wherein larval instars usually feed on. During the field inspection the technical experts also conducted a field demonstration on Control of Fall Army Worm with ‘metarhizium anisophilae’ spraying in the infested field, the release said.

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