Be careful when you buy plants
THE RURAL Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is urging farmers to be careful when purchasing plants, to avoid the beet armyworm (BAW).
Speaking at a JIS think tank on May 12, Michelle Sherwood, deputy research director of the Crop and Plant Protection Unit, Research Development Division in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, said that farmers outside of St Elizabeth who are planning to expand production, especially scallion, should be careful not to cause a spread in the outbreak, which could threaten other crops.
“We are discouraging farmers, especially at this time of the year, from buying scallion from St Elizabeth. We have found that whenever farmers move the crops from affected areas, it ends up in St Catherine, Clarendon and St Thomas, and this makes the control mechanism more difficult,” she said.
BEST TIME TO BUY CROPS
Sherwood added that the best time of the year to buy crops from St Elizabeth is during the cooler periods, when the beet armyworm is less likely to infect crops.
“The BAW is a pest that we have had in the country for many years, and it is present on a number of plants, including melon, tomato, onion and scallion, which is its favourite,” she explained.
“St Elizabeth is the largest production area for scallion in Jamaica, and this particular crop is one of the most preferred hosts for the BAW reproduce,” Sherwood said.
She said that when farmers buy from that area, there is a high possibility that the pest will be transported, especially because the eggs can be hidden in the plant.
Sherwood said farmers must thoroughly examine their plant materials before they place them among existing crops, if they decide to buy from the infested areas.
“Clean the crop properly, wash the strips and remove the dead outer leaves. The pest can also be seen if you hold up the plant against the sunlight. You will see the leaves that are infested. I would encourage treating the plant by dipping it into a solution of pesticide, and soak the planting material for about 10-15 minutes. In this way, you will significantly reduce the infestation and spread of the BAW,” she advised.
She said that while this outbreak has not occurred in to many other areas in Jamaica, she is still advising farmers to practise crop rotation to avoid future outbreaks.
CROP ROTATION
“In other areas of the country that we visited, such as the hills of St Andrew, they don’t keep the scallion in one location. They literally follow the sun and plant where the sunlight is, so there is crop rotation taking place,” Sherwood said.
Marina Young, principal director, Training Division, RADA, said it is important that farmers understand what the trigger factors are that will cause spreading in the event of any outbreak.
“Based on the analysis of the situation, we identified that there are factors that are related to the climatic conditions, which are beyond our control,” she said.
Young said crops that have been affected and are also likely to transport the BAW are cucumber, callaloo and beetroot.
Farmers must thoroughly examine their plant materials before they place them among existing crops, if they decide to buy from the infested areas.