Panicles are showing up in the ASD - 16 variety paddy crop raised by farmers in Uthandipalayam in Ganapathipalayam panchayat in the district through SRI (System of Rice Intensification) method.
And the timing was apt for the Agriculture Department to initiate them into pest management practices. The Farmers’ Field School conducted under the aegis of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) was handy for the department to orient the farmers about best practices. A group of farmers engaged in the fourth of the six training modules on Wednesday was, at the end, able to make out the difference between good and bad pests.
They were divided into groups and asked to reproduce their observation in the field on a chart. And they depicted the paddy plant, the sunlight, the good pests and bad pests.
The picture of coxynelli beetles and spiders figured among the good pests and leaf folder among the bad ones. They had collected the insects in a plastic cover from the field.
Making farmers understand the utility of certain pests in eliminating bad ones so as to avoid usage of pesticides to maximum possible extent is one of the important objectives of the school, said Kulandaivelu, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Modakurichi block. The farmers are provided guidance right from the time of seed selection to post-harvest stage through the school, he said. According M. Sekar, a farmer, cultivation under SRI was economical since seed requirement as well as water usage was much lower.
Also, there were many panicles in a hill under SRI cultivation, implying more productivity, he said.
