The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Farm experts on a different mission

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Sunday, Feb 17, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Farm experts on a different mission

S. Harpal Singh

Tackling the problem of bird pestilence

Saving the crop: A farmer boy shooing away birds from his maize field near Nirmal.

ADILABAD: Scientists at the Agriculture Research Station (ARC), Adilabad, are on to ‘purifying’ the drooping variety of jowar (sorghum) from the available mixed types that will take care of bird pestilence to a large extent.

Farmers of jowar, maize and wheat lose between 10 and 25 per cent of the crop every season to foraging birds, mainly parrots.

T. Pradeep, principal scientist and Head of ARC, says the variety will be isolated within a couple of seasons. “Seeking food from drooping panicles will become enormously difficult for the birds,” he says, explaining the positive aspects of developing such a variety in jowar.

Earlier methods

Traditionally, surveillance was the method used by farmers to scare away birds from their fields.

From perches in the fields, farmers used slingshots to hurl stones even to the distant corners of the field for deterring the birds from eating the crop.

Besides, different types of noises are made to keep the marauding birds away.

Firecrackers and glazing ribbons are also used to take care of this problem.

“Initially the birds are scared by noises or stones that are hurled from sling shots. In case of the former, the birds get accustomed to noises after sometime. In larger fields, stones cannot be thrown till the end point. This leaves the borders of such fields open for birds to destroy. Only the drooping variety can save the day for the farmer,” explains Dr. Pradeep.

“The drooping panicle is comparatively smaller in size and less sturdy. Because of its peculiar characteristics it poses difficulty for the birds.

Under such circumstances less surveillance is needed. The person on surveillance duty can concentrate on farming as a result,” he added.

Bird pestilence is considered to be a problem even at the ARC in Ramnagar area on the outskirts of Adilabad town.

The varying varieties of crops that are sown here perhaps attract birds of equally varying varieties.

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