Paddy has been infested by five types of pests in over one lakh acres in four districts, according to the Agriculture Department.
Similarly, groundnut has been infested in 61,000 aces in Chittoor and Anantapur districts.
Types of pests
The department has received reports that paddy in Krishna, Vizianagaram, East Godavari and Prakasam districts has been infested in 1,00,485.4 acres by rice blast, BPH, sheath blight, stem borer and leaf folder.
Farmers are, however, able to treat the pestilence in 81,421 acres of paddy and stop the spread of the pests and diseases.
According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), rice blast, considered a major disease, is capable of causing very severe loss (up to 100%). While the data for India is old, the yield loss due to the disease in the Philippines is between 50% and 85%.
The yield loss caused by sheath blight is 6%, according to the IRRI studies.
The department has also received pest infestation reports on groundnut in Chittoor and Anantapur.
While the infestation of leaf-eating caterpillar, aphids and Spodoptera has been reported in 61,000 acres, farmers have been able to treat the crop in only 51,892 acres and check the spread of the pests and diseases. Pests have also infested cotton, maize and sugarcane in several districts. Aphids and pink boll worm have reportedly infested cotton crop in Krishna, Prakasam and Vizianagaram districts. Fall army worm and stem borer have infested maize crop in Anantapur, Krishna, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. And, mealy bugs, stem borer, smut, aphids and red rot have infested sugarcane in East Godavari, Prakasam and Vizianagaram districts.
Humidity blamed
“Normally, pestilence is reported in traces, but this season the infestation is more because of the high humidity,” according to Y. Ramamurthy, a farmer from Gudivada.
