Fall armyworm invades crops across Asia, small farmers worst hit
Corteva Agriscience, a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, has launched a new insect-control solution to tackle the Fall Armyworm infestation in India.
The company, which has a multicrop research centre here, said the insecticide Delegate contains Spinetoram 11.7 per cent SC, which has been approved by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to help corn farmers address the new infestation that is spreading fast.
First reported in Karnataka last year, Fall Armyworm quickly spread to 14 States, including Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Padesh and Bihar.
The Fall Armyworm or Spodopterafrugiperda is an insect native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Left unattended to, it can cause significant damage to crops.
Though corn is the first target for this new infestation, scientists caution that it can soon impact other crops as well. The country grows corn (maize) on about 9 million hectares.
“Our focus now is to make sure that this solution is available quickly to those who need it the most,” Subbarao Kolli, Managing Director (South Asia) of Corteva Agriscience, said.
The company claims that Delegate is a broad-spectrum insecticide used to control crop-damaging insects.
“It is effective against target insects at a very low use rate, with a margin of safety toward beneficial insects,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The active ingredient, Spinetoram, has been accepted for review and registration under the Reduced Risk Pesticide Program by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
He said the company would conduct training programmes across the country to educate farmers about Fall Armyworm and its damage symptoms and on how to administer Delegate.