SOA students locate harmful pest in agricultural farm

-
Bhubaneswar: Students of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), faculty of agricultural sciences of SOA (Deemed to be University), have spotted Spodoptera frugiperda, a harmful insect, in the institution’s instructional farm here recently.

The insect, which has the potential to destroy over 80 varieties of crops, was first found in Karnataka in May last and was identified by the ICAR-run National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru.

According to Prof. Bijoy Kumar Mishra, professor of Entomology at IAS, the pest larva is known as ‘fall armyworm moth’, which flies long distances.

Students had first spotted the pest in the instructional farm of  IAS which was subsequently confirmed to be Spodoptera frugiperda, he said.

It particularly destroys maize and sugarcane crops and had already been reported from several states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and West Bengal. It was first found in Africa in 2016 and had since found its way to the Asian countries, Prof. Mishra said.

“The need is that the farmers should remain alert against this pest and the administration should take preventive measures to control its spread. Effective steps could be initiated to control this menace,” he said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Photos that speak ‘in defence of civilization’

-
Image
Rourkela: ‘A picture says a thousand words’ is an adage that aptly describes photographs by  A N Maniyappan, which were on display at 8 th National Conference of Steel Worker’s Federation of India (SWFI) at Bhanja Bhawan. The 68-year old man from Ernakulam district of Kerela, exhibited his rare photographs and collected ones on the theme ‘In defence of Civilization’. The exhibition featured 400 collections of photographs on a wide range of subjects. The subjects of these photographs are about martyrs’ column, civilization, humanity, golden era of movements, loot of national property, historic moments, anti-communalism, capitalism, imperialism, industrial revolution, trade unionism, and movement against liberalism and steel workers’ movement. The photo exhibition attracted thousands of people in and around the city. “The younger generation learns a lot from this photography and get to understand what had happened in the past,” said a spectator H S Mishra. “Th
Read more

Prithvi-II test fired successfully

-
Image
Rourkela: India today successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore. The surface-to-surface missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of Integrated Test Range at about 9:21 AM, defence sources said. The launch of the sophisticated missile, conducted as part of operational exercise by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence services, was successful, they said. “The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of practice drill,” sources said. The Prithvi-II missile, developed by the DRDO, is already inducted into the Indian Armed forces. Prithvi, the first missile developed under India’s prestigious Integrate
Read more

Santhali writer nominated for Sahitya Academy award

-
Rourkela: Gangadhar Hansda, a banker and litterateur has been nominated for the prestigious ‘Kendriya Sahitya Academy Award’ for the year 2012 for his collection of short stories in Santhali language, ‘Banchaw Akan Gojhona’. Hansda, an eminent Santhali writer and Santhali culture activist, has devoted himself to the popularization of Santhali literature and culture after retiring as a Branch Manager from Union Bank of India. His contribution to Santhali literature includes short stories, essays, history, one act play and novels. He has published eight books till date. He has also translated several books from Santhali to Odia and the famous ‘Chhamana Atha Guntha’ by Fakirmohan Senapati from Odia to Santhali.  He has co-authored a history and an essay book with his eminent writer wife Damayanti Besra who has already been honored with Kendriya Sahitya Academy award in 2009. Hansda is an active contributor to various journals and magazines on Santhali culture. He has won A
Read more