Fall Armyworm destroys maize crop at Yairipok

Our Correspondent

THOUBAL, May 7: After the presence of Fall Armyworm in the State was confirmed by the ICAR Manipur Centre, the invasive worm has been detected at Yairipok in Thoubal district.

The worm was detected preying on maize crop at a farm in Yairipok Kekru area. There is widespread devastation of the crop due to the invasive worm, said reports.

The presence of the worm at the maize farm was detected late April, said the owner of the farm.

The owner had learned about the worm on Google, however it was confirmed only after he read reports on newspapers yesterday, he said.

He had used regular pesticides on the maize but the worms were found living on the tips-soft parts of the maize plant, he said.

The Fall Armyworm eats the soft parts of the maize and destroys the plant, he added.

According to the farmer, this is the first time he has encountered the worm in years of farming.

Worrying for his crops, he appealed the department concerned to take up measures at the earliest to kill and control the invasive worm from distributing further in other areas.

The fall armyworm is a species in the order of Lepidoptera and is the larval life stage of a fall armyworm moth.