Kharif crops hit by red hairy caterpillar in Mahendragarh villages

Ravinder Saini

Mahendragarh, July 27

Kharif crops, including bajra, cotton and pulses, spread over 1,500 acres in several villages of the Ateli and Nangal Chaudhary area have been affected by red hairy caterpillar.

It came to the fore when a joint team of Narnaul office from the Department of Agriculture and Regional Central Integrated Pest Management Centre, Faridabad, visited the affected villages in the district, two days ago, on getting complaints about the the area being affected by the pest.

“During the visit, the team visited Mirzapur, Bachhod and Bhilwara villages under Ateli and Jainpur, Mausampur, Biharipur and Nangal Kalia villages under the Nangal Chaudhary area. Though the red hairy caterpillar has been found affecting the crops in the villages, the damage is not much, hence the farmers need not to worry about it,” said Harpal Singh, Assistant Plant Protection Officer (APPO), Narnaul.

He said the kharif crops spread over a total of 1,500 acres had been identified, which was hit by red hairy caterpillar. The farmers had been advised to not allow weeds to accumulate around the fields and spray the crop by mixing 500 ml Quinalphos 25 EC in 250 liters of water for one acre to prevent the pest from damaging the crops. The red hairy caterpillar had been seen in the district for the first time in the past 15 years, Singh claimed.

Another official said when the caterpillars are in the nascent stage, they stay together and damage the lower surface of the leaves. They roam all over the plant and eat the leaves.

“The red hairy caterpillars will remain active from the second half of July to the end of August. It is damaging the kharif crops by eating the leaves. But this is just the beginning. Therefore, the farmers should adopt these techniques to control it. Do not allow weeds to grow around the fields because these caterpillars lay eggs on them and use these as an alternative host,” he said.

The official further stated the adults/moths of hairy caterpillars were attracted to light. Therefore, they could be controlled using light traps. In case of heavy infestation, the crops can be saved by using neem-based insecticides. For the prevention from adult caterpillars, 500 ml Quinalphos 25 EC should be mixed in 250 liters of water per acre and sprayed, he added.

Farmers need not worry

Farmers need not panic or worry about the red hairy caterpillar as it has been found in a limited area and has not yet caused much loss to crops. The farmers can control the pest by not allowing weeds to grow around the fields and spray the crop with insecticides. — Harpal Singh, Assistant Plant Protection Officer, Narnaul