As the crops grow, they become increasingly vulnerable to pests. This is when the farmers use pesticides to keep them at bay. But unfortunately, when this is done, along with the pests, even the organisms that are good for the plant die. 

But there is a way out as the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Uttar Pradesh has found out. Agricultural scientists there are telling farmers how to tackle leafroller pests that attack paddy, without incurring adding expenses. And all it requires is a metre-long plastic rope that is available at most households! 

“The leaf roller pest is common and can destroy paddy crops if measures are not taken early enough to get rid of them,” IK Kushwaha, chief scientist at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Saharanpur, told Gaon Connection.

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The female leaf rollers wrap themselves in the leaf of the paddy plant  and lay eggs there. In eight to ten days, caterpillars emerge from the eggs and start feeding on the tender leaves. Then with their saliva, they fold the edges of the leaf around themselves and continue to feed on the leaf from the inside. This can cause considerable damage to the crop.  

“The leaf rollers can be dislodged from the plant very easily. A breeze can do it or a simple mechanical device can be used to dislodge them,” he explained.  

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According to scientists, the leaf roller pests ought to be dislodged when they are still in their early stages. “For this, two people should move a meter-long plastic rope, right to left, touching the top one third of the crop. What this does is it dislodges the leaf rollers and they fall out,” Kushwaha explained. But it is important that this be done weekly once. And, if there is even a little water on the ground, it is even better as the leaf rollers will fall into it and die, he said.   

Since it is the paddy season right now, this simple technique, if adopted, can help farmers save their crops from the pests.

Read the story in Hindi