adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter—
FALL armyworm has destroyed 350 hectares of maize – giving affected farmers in Manicaland a torrid time as the devastating pest has become resistant to chemicals.The invasion by fall armyworm and its resistance to chemicals can compromise initially projected bumper yields and farmers are being urged to increase the dosage and drone each affected plant in order to combat the pest notorious for shielding itself in the funnel.
The fall armyworm has invaded Mutare, Chipinge, Mutasa, Makoni, Chimanimani and Nyanga districts where it left farmers counting losses.
Acting Agritex Provincial Officer, Mrs Phillipa Rwambiwa, said control measures had so far failed to tame the pest as farmers are discovering it at a growth stage when it could no longer be controlled.
Mrs Rwambiwa said the pest had destroyed 256ha at Nyamaropa Irrigation Scheme in Nyanga; 5ha at Nyanyadzi Irrigation Scheme (Chimanimani); 30ha in Middle Sabi, Chipinge; 5ha in Odzi, Mutare; 25ha in Honde Valley, Mutasa; and 10ha in Nyazura, Makoni.
The fall armyworm is a chronic pest that feeds on a variety of well-fertilised crops such as maize, pearl millet, sorghum and pastures.
The pest, which is different from the gregarious African armyworm which is – more like the notorious stalk borer – affects the crop funnel and is recognisable through its feeding waste and white laces on the crop leaves.
Mrs Rwambiwa urged farmers to daily scout their fields, inspecting the plants to see if there are no tiny caterpillars hidden in the maize funnels.
“We are urging farmers to protect their crop, apply chemicals on the crop before invasion of the fall armyworm. In cases where the pest has grown to a stage where it becomes resistant to chemicals, they should increase the chemical dosage and do spot application where they drone the whole plant, especially the funnel,” said Mrs Rwambiwa.
“Farmers must scout their crops everyday because in most cases the pest is being discovered at a growth stage when it could no longer be controlled. The fall armyworm is a tiny caterpillar that shields itself in funnel. The symptoms are salient and as a result farmers detect the pest by means of its waste, and while laces on maize leaves. In most cases they would have outgrown the stage at which they could be controlled, worsening the damage,” said Mrs Rwambiwa.
The pest, which can wreak havoc in fields if left to multiply, derives its name from its feeding habits. It eats everything in an area and once the food supply is exhausted, the entire “army” will move to the next available food source.
Fall armyworms are most numerous in early fall and another reason for the sudden appearance of this insect is that “march into” an uninfested area in search of food once an adjacent field has been defoliated.
It has become a norm in the past seasons that weeks preceding heavy rains will see a massive outbreak of caterpillars, which are derided for eating crops and pastures.
More rainfall brings more moths and, ultimately, fresh outbreaks.
The worms can be combated by spraying carbrayl and heavy rains also destroy armyworms as they are susceptible to cold weather.
However, the incessant rains are often blamed for submerging the same cereal crops, with farmers often complaining of leaching.
Online Reporter