Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Centre for Plant Protection Studies and Plant Health Initiative, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Mexico, along with the Maize Research Station, Vagarai organised Interactive Field days at Marichilambu and Ayakudi villages.
During this program, Dr.T.Srinivasan, Associate Professor (Agrl. Entomology) welcomed the farmers and explained about the infestation caused by invasive maize fall armyworm. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Mexico has joined hands with TNAU, to demonstrate the successful Integrated Pest and Disease Management strategies for the management of maize fall armyworm and other diseases occurring in maize through participatory evaluation program involving farmers and the State Department of Agriculture extension personnel. He indicated that, maize fall armyworm was reported in 2018 in Tamil Nadu. Intensive research by the Department of Entomology, CPPS, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, resulted in the development and validation of IPM strategies that have been widely advocated to the farmers.
Dr.T.Selvakumar, Professor and Head, discussed on the recent hybrids released from TNAU, Coimbatore and MRS, Vagarai. He vividly explained about the timely fertilizer application, irrigation scheduling, weedicide application, etc. to the farmers. Dr.K.R.V.Sathyasheela, Assistant Professor (Plant Breeding and Genetics) explained the importance of selecting right hybrids for achieving higher yields. She also highlighted the special features of maize hybrids released by the Agricultural University.
Later, Dr.P.S.Shanmugam, Associate Professor (Entomology), listed out the IPM strategies to be followed for managing maize fall armyworm which includes application of neem cake @ 250 kg/ha at the time of last ploughing, seed treatment with cyantraniliprole 19.8% + thiamethoxam19.8% FS @ 4 ml/kg seed, border cropping with cowpea, gingelly/red gram or sunflower in garden land conditions and fodder sorghum in dryland conditions @ three rows of selected crop, monitoring of FAW adults using pheromone traps @ 12/ha and window based application of insecticides viz., Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC @ 0.4 ml/lit (or) flubendiamide 480 SC @ 0.5 ml/lit at early stage (15 - 20 DAE) followed by azadirachtin 1500 ppm @ 5 ml/lit on need basis at 15-20 days after emergence, Metarhizium anisopliae (TNAU-MA-GDU isolate) @ 2.5 kg/ha (or) emamectin benzoate 5 SG @ 0.4 g/lit or novaluron 10 EC @ 1.5 ml/lit or spinetoram 11.7 SC @ 0.5 ml/lit at 35-40 DAE and any of the late whorl stage insecticides during cob formation stage. In this programme, 90 progressive farmers were participated and benefitted by the programme.