Armyworm

The Fall armyworm menace that destroyed cultivations in the United States and Africa made its way to India in 2018; subsequently Sri Lanka also suffered as the Fall armyworm menace started spreading in the island nation last year.

Fall armyworm initially creates pinholes in the leaves when it is small but as it grows it hides within the heart of the plant and damages emerging leaves leaving them tattered.

In contrast, the fall armyworm can target a broader range of crops including maize and sorghum but it notably avoids grazing grass.

The beet armyworm, which develops into a moth commonly called the Small Mottled Willow Moth, is one of the most popular agricultural pests.

Leaf-feeding insects such as corn borer, fall armyworm and cutworm can be controlled with a postemergence spray of a labeled pyrethroid insecticide.

Questions last week tended to focus on planting issues, herbicide application issues and insect (black cutworm and true armyworm) moth flights.

Lead researcher George Phiri said by the end of the research, the country should be able to contain the fall armyworm problem using biological means.

Maize farmers are worried about a fresh outbreak of fall armyworm, saying it could affect the productivity of maize if not tackled in time.

There have been reports of fall armyworm infestations and damage to pastures across southeast North Carolina, including sightings in Sampson.

Despite the challenges posed by the fall armyworm outbreak, the harvest outlook remained positive for green schemes.

Fall armyworm, which is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, has spread rapidly across Africa since being detected in West Africa in early 2016.

He indicated that the Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, must equally be charged for supplying ineffective chemicals worth millions of dollars to farmers at the height of the fall armyworm outbreak in the country.

In the United States, the southern armyworm is found principally in the southeast with its range extending as far west as parts of New Mexico.

Now prevalent in more than 40 countries, the voracious fall armyworm, which feeds on and destroys staple food crops such as maize and sorghum, is reported to have cost African farmers more than £10 billion.

Recently, Government, through the Plant Protection Unit, engaged farmers in Gwanda North where there is the fall armyworm outbreak.

The armyworm are spreading at a very high rate and will even start spreading to other crops other than maize," committee chairman Adan Ali Sheikh observed.

The report predicts that the fall armyworm will continue to affect the region, urging governments and stakeholders to consider long term investments in containing the problem.