Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Mealy bug menace ‘high' in papaya, say farmers

MADURAI: Collector C. Kamaraj has called for closer interaction between farmers and agricultural scientists which would offer solution to problems and result in higher yields.

Following requests from farmers' to find a solution to the mealy bug menace prevailing in the district, a meeting was arranged at the Collectorate here on Wednesday.

Faculty members from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University led by Manisekaran, Chinniah, Baby Rani and Stephen from the Coffee Board Thandikudi, Joint Director (Agriculture) Sankaralingam, officials from Horticulture Department among others participated.

Entomologists said that Alanganallur block, Vadipatti block, Muduvarpatti, Madurai East, Melur and Kottampatti blocks were surveyed for the incidence of mealy bug. About 30 per cent of the plants had infestation. Apart from papaya, plants found infested included guava, hibiscus, neem, jatropha, parthenium, banana and sapota.

Despite being widespread, there was no severe yield loss except for papaya, probably due to the activities of natural enemy like predatory ants.

However, the farmers' had a different tale to tell. The incidence of mealy bug was “very high” that the entire papaya crop suffered in many areas in the district. The cost of one kilogram of imported papaya seed was around Rs 2 lakh, a farmer said and added that the crops were suffering from the bug menace. Though the Horticulture Department officials had suggested alternatives, there seems to be no desired result, he claimed. The entomologists wanted the farmers to collect and destroy fallen leaves and fruits from the infested fields, besides pruning severely infested trees.

Booklet

When farmers wanted the faculty members and experts from the Department to visit their fields, Mr. Kamaraj assured to arrange such an interaction block-wise. He also said that booklet and pamphlets recommending solutions to problems such as mealy bug would be prepared by the agriculture department and distributed to the farmers. He also emphasised on the need to adopt micro-irrigation system considering the water shortage and change in climatic conditions.

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