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.