CroplifeIndia, an association of 15 research and development driven crop science companies; in view of recent locust attacks in the country has issued an advisory for farmers and spray management agencies to follow these recommendations for the management of the locust.
The advisory issued includes keeping information about the locust team's attack in your area through radio, TV, newspapers and mobile, etc.
In order to protect the crops, spray neem oil, 5 ml per liter of water in solution; when the locust team's attack in other areas is reported.
Making noise in the fields or produce loud noises in the form of vehicles, bells, tins, thali or other ways, which would keep the locust swarms away.
The association has suggested to use FAO recommended chemicals, which have been also approved by registration committee, for the control of desert locust in the states.
The Spraying should be conducted in such a way that there is no contamination of water either in ponds, river, water reservoirs, etc.
Asitava Sen, chief executive officer, CropLife India, said, “Currently, there is an extensive invasion of the desert locust in our country. The locust teams have entered the border of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh at present, passing through Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. Therefore, locusts can pose a serious challenge to agriculture sector growth (projected at 2.5%-3% over last year) in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, unless further escalation is contained. We commend the concerted efforts of the centre and state governments in controlling the locust menace, including use of novel modern technology and spraying devices.”
“Apart from traditional spray system,CropLife India has suggested extensive use of drones for spraying recommended agrochemicals to control locust and other invasive pests. The main benefits of drones –that can be remotely controlled – are increased efficiency and precision of agrochemical application that, in turn, leads to improved pest management and reduce wastage of crop protection products; higher capacity of spraying (about 20 times higher compared to that of manual spraying); significant reduction in risk of operator exposure; lower water consumption and development of certified applicators, including community spraying professionals, thereby creating new skilled employment and entrepreneurship potential in rural India,” he added.
The association has always propagated Responsible and judicious use of agrochemicals and use of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while spraying agrochemicals.