Effective control helps curb damage due to locust swarm

 

 

Locust, an insect that invades, damages crops, affects bio-diversity and gives very less time to control, has caused extensive damage to crops in the State. Jabalpur and other adjoining divisions witnessed three such repeated attacks of locust swarm. Initially the locust presence created a chaos and became of concern for farmers and local authorities. But with farmers’ support, the effective strategy based on extensive monitoring, education of farmers pertaining to action on attack and post control measures minimised the damages.

 

Dr Om Gupta, Senior Agriculture Scientist and Director, Extension Services, JNAU said that teams of JNAU scientists remained on field with local administration. In all 26 districts in Madhya Pradesh, the KVK scientists remain active and provided scientific consultation to teams and farmers through SMS, phone calls on scientific control measures.

Dr Rashmi Shukla, KVK Jabalpur In-charge, informed that KVK’s team recommended deep ploughing if locust swarm stayed in open farm land, pesticide spray after beating drums and creating high pitched noise to move the locust swarm. In Jabalpur in all points, KVK teams have visited for observation and recommended remedies.

 

Deputy Director, Agriculture, Jabalpur, S K Nigam said that damage of agro-produce or crops by locust swarm has been minimum in different districts in repeated three times locust swarm that around two to three nights in division. Primary report on damage does not indicate any serious damages to farms. Mostly locust swarms’ stay was in forest areas and farms are also vacant due to recent harvest of wheat, pulses and oilseeds. In farms,