Pest attack on standing crops triggers concern for farmers

BHUBANESWAR: Farmers from various districts, including Koraput, Nuapada and Bargarh, have expressed serious concern over pest attack in standing paddy crops. The growers said that brown plant hoppers (BPH) and other pests have attacked the crops, which will be harvested in a few weeks.
With paddy plants at the flowering stage, bacterial and fungal infections, along with pest attack, have left the peasants in the lurch. The damage, the farmers said, will affect the growth of the plants and the expected yield. The BPH attack has been found in the paddy fields of Borigumma, Pujariput, Dhanpur, Dasmantpur and Chandili in Koraput district.
Similar problems were reported from Nuapada and Bargarh districts. Many gram panchayats in Nuapada district have reported pest attack in paddy. Some parts of Bargarh district have reported the same crisis. The farmers said they cannot treat the pest-hit crop due to lack of funds.
Farmers, who are using pesticides, said it does not yield any good result either. As the farmers do not have knowledge about the pesticides, they purchase what shopkeepers prescribe them. Though the state government had advised the farmers to use new varieties of pesticides to kill BPH, they are still using the old ones.
Experts said BPH grows in paddy field due to less rainfall and high humidity. They said the pests have developed pesticide resistance.
Surendranath Pashupalak, former vice-chancellor of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), said: “The insect attacks when the plant starts bearing fruit. It grows at the base level of the plant. It occurs generally in October when the temperature is about 32 degrees Celsius and the humidity is about 75 per cent.”

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