Bhubaneswar: Students of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), faculty of agricultural sciences in a private university, have spotted spodoptera frugiperda, a harmful insect, at the institute’s instructional farm here recently.
The insect, which has the potential to destroy over 80 varieties of crops, was first found in Karnataka in May last and identified by the Indian Council of agricultural Research (ICAR)-run National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bangalore.
According to Bijoy Kumar Mishra, Professor of entomology at IAS, the larva of the insect known as ‘fall armyworm moth’, flies long distances.
The students had first spotted the pest in the instructional farm of IAS which was subsequently confirmed to be Spodoptera frugiperda, he said.
It particularly destroys maize and sugarcane crops which had already been reported from several states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and West Bengal. It was first found in Africa in 2016 and had since found its way to the Asian countries, Mishra added.
“The farmers should remain alert against this pest and the administration should take preventive measures to control its spread,” he warned, adding effective steps need to be initiated to control this menace.