African army worm' spreads to Hosur

KRISHNAGIRI: Monsoon rains in neighboring Karnataka have not only brought copious inflows of water into Tamil Nadu, but also the crop-destroying ‘African army worm’ to Hosur in Krishnagiri district.

“For the first time, farmers are facing trouble because of a new pest called the army worm caterpillar found here in paddy fields,” said R.Manoharan, assistant director for agriculture. He added, “farmers of Thorapalli, Thattikanapalli and Sevaganapalli villages cultivated paddy in over 900 hectares. Around 50 hectares of the crop were damaged by the new pest.”

According to him, the spread of the pest is due to inflows into the Kelavarapalli dam in Hosur taluk, built across the South Pennar river and which receives its inflow from neighbouring Karnataka.

“Grass that was transported by the South Pennar water from neighbouring Karnataka has been identified as the carrier of the pest into our state,” Manoharan said. He further said, “The African army worm is a moth which spreads very fast and can move over 100 kilometers in a single night. It also multiplies in large numbers as each adult moth lays hundreds of eggs.

This not only destroys the crop but also threatens the trade and family income of farmers.”Manoharan asked farmers to follow the advice given to them by the Agriculture department in controlling the new pest. He also  insisted on crop insurance.