little did farmers in Maharashtra know, or ever expect, that the thousands of rupees they invested in their soybean crop would be lost to countless colonies of caterpillars. The losses have shaken the region

GUWAHATI, Sep 24: A severe pest attack has damaged the paddy crop of Jorhat and Sivsagar district causing concern not only among the farmers but also agricultural department officials.

Hisar, September 22 The farmers, especially cotton growers, will soon be able to control the pest attacks without using pesticides.

The entomologists at HAU have come up with a natural control for the mealy bug- a pest of cotton crop which destroys crops every year.

Pest incidence is more during rains

Pomegranate faces a serious set back due to infestation by insect pests. The most obnoxious is Anar butterfly(Deodorex isocrates.)

Aizawl, July 31: Armies of rats have ravaged maize and other crops in Mizoram, agricultural officials said on wednesday.
Aizawl district alone accounted for more than 20 percent of maize harvest loss after rats damaged crops, State Agriculture Department officials said after maize harvest at Phullen and surrounding villages in eastern part of Aizawl district.
In south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, rats not only destroyed maize but also nibbled standing paddy stems, District Agriculture Officer Rohmingthanga Colney said.

KENDRAPARA: Swarming caterpillars (Leda) have damaged large tracts of paddy saplings in the district badly hitting economic backbone of thousands of farmers.

"Help from the administration, however, is yet to reach the villagers more than three weeks after the first swarm of insects arrived here. The insects are black in colour and measuring less than an inch in length. Most of the crops have been destroyed in the area," said Gayadhar Dhal, secretary of Kendrapara District Krusaka Sabha.

M.J. PRABU Input cost has greatly decreased and yield has increased considerably

Losses caused due to different insect pests under field conditions on four transgenic cotton hybrids (RCH 134, RCH 317, MRC 6301 and MRC 6304) were estimated in three districts of Punjab viz. Mansa, Ferozepur and Bathinda.

Red palm weevil is the most destructive pest of coconut. The adult weevil is reddish brown in colour with a life span of 70-130 days. The female weevil lays its eggs in soft tissues of young palms and in the wounds present on the stem or leaf stalk. The larval period ranges from 36-78 days. Stem infestation The wounds in the stem region attract the weevil for egg laying. The grubs on hatching enter through the wounds and damage the trunk by tunnelling inside. Brownish black viscous fluid oozes out from the damage spot on the trunk.

Ug99's symptoms are dark orange pustules on the stems and the leaves. Stems can be completely girdled by the pustules damaging the tissue and preventing grain fill. This can bring in yield losses of up to 70 per cent. The disease is so strong that it can even wipe out fields. If the stem rust arrives early in the growing cycle, losses are higher.

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