Warning issued for maize crops after pest is detected

MUMBAI: The Fall Armyworm – a crop-eating devastating pest native to the Americas - has made its entry into maize fields in India, raising food security concerns across Asia if the pest attack is not controlled immediately.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR) on July 30 issued a ‘pest alert’ based on results of surveys conducted between July 9 and July 18 that recorded more than 70% prevalence of the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in a maize field in Chikkaballapur, Karnataka. Molecular identification of the larvae matched with the insect’s genetic sequence database from Canada and Costa Rica.

India produces more than 20 million tonnes of maize every year, with the highest area under cultivation in Karnataka. Scientists at ICAR said the pest has spread in eight or nine districts of Karnataka with up to 35% damage to 20-25 day young crops.

At present, only the maize crop has been under attack from the worm. “But there could be an outbreak with high rainfall, more cloud cover, and low temperatures as the insect’s ability to hatch increases with such a weather pattern,” said AN Shylesha, principal scientist, ICARNBAIR, , who conducted the survey. “So the next two to three monsoon months are crucial.”

While it is believed the pest made its way from South America into Africa via sea or air cargo, scientists at ICAR-NBAIR said it is difficult to trace its arrival into India. It was through a general survey on different maize pests that the existence of the Fall Armyworm in Karnataka came to the fore. “We found that while one worm was similar to Mythimna Separata (Oriental Army-

worm), which is native to India in terms of crop damage, its larval characteristics were different. We therefore collected more of this new specie, reared them to adult stage in the laboratory and also conducted molecular identification to infer the first record of the Fall Armyworm in India,” said Shylesha. “It is likely that

the Fall Armyworm arrived in India from Africa through human-aided transport, and escaped the regulatory systems or quarantine in India. Natural migration is also a possibility,” said Gopi Ramasamy, country director for India, Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI).