Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool   

Pest gnaws into Bengalgram yield

Special Correspondent

Unable to identify the pest, spodoptera exigua, farmers spray wrong chemicals aggravating the problem

KURNOOL: Bengalgram crop in Kurnool district faces an attack from the pest Spodoptera exigua (paccha ladde purugu). Joint Director Agriculture G. Rajesham and Principal Scientist of District Agriculture, Advisory and Technology Transfer Centre G. Narasimha Rao examined the crops in Nandikotkur on Tuesday.

Bengalgram was sown on 2.2 lakh hectares in the district this year, the highest area covered in any year so far. Many farmers shifted to Bengalgram from cotton, sunflower and jowar because of falling yields of those crops. More over, Bengalgram is a short duration crop, harvested in three months.

The larvae of spodoptera exigua hide in the soil during day and devour the stems and leaves during nights. Dr. Narasimha Rao said farmers were unable to identify the pest and were spraying all kinds of chemicals on the crop. The pest can be controlled only by spraying "thiocarb" upto 150 to 200 grams per acre.

He said the pest might not be able to damage a grown plant but it would have an effect on the yield. Also, heliothes was noticed on a small scale in some pockets. Phosphorous deficiency was noticed as the plants turned pink because of dipping temperatures. The problem can be overcome by spraying 2 kg DAP per acre as the plants were unable to absorb the chemicals available in the soil.

Dr. Rao said the agriculture team was concentrating on Bengalgram as it emerged the mainstay of district this year.

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