Scientists to gauge spread of armyworm

SCIENTISTS have been dispatched to gauge the spread of Fall Armyworm following its discovery at two KwaZuluNatal farms.

“While we cannot rule out the spreading capabilities, which is a function of the wind, the department is putting up ‘virus tracking’ mechanisms so that reliable data and accurate predictability about its spread trajectory can be achieved for purposes of ‘trapping’ interventions,” read a statement from the KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at the weekend.

According to the statement, the crop-destroying pest was identified at two farms in the Uthukela and Umkhanyakude districts.

“In these two farms the department has succeeded to round off these worms and responded through pesticides and other chemicals before it spread to neighbouring farms.”

The presence of armyworm in South Africa was confirmed by the national Department of Agriculture earlier this month. Also known as Spodoptera Frugiperda, it is native to South and Central America and also occurs in the southern states of the US. Infestation was first reported in Africa in Nigeria about a year ago. It then spread to several other West African countries and to Central Africa by April 2016.

“This pest is a good flyer and cannot be contained in a specific area,” the department said earlier this month.

The KZN department has been on high alert since the discovery of the worm in Limpopo and the North West.

It immediately assembled an outbreak-monitoring team in the 11 districts. They worked with farmers and communities and reported back daily.

The outbreak was a huge blow to farmers just starting to recover from the drought, said Sandy la Marque, chief executive of the KZN Agricultural Union (Kwanalu).

FAW was resistant to many pesticides and only after the outbreak had the national department scrambled to register armyworm-destroying pesticides.

“As far as we are aware, there is a huge demand for these chemicals right now. They also appear to be quite pricey,” said La Marque.

She appealed for financial assistance for farmers, saying if the outbreak was not completely eradicated it would spread or reoccur. Small-scale farmers were particularly concerned about their livelihoods.