First detected in Karnataka only in May this year, the fall armyworm, a native of the Americas, has already spread as far as West Bengal and Gujarat, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Priyanka Pulla reports on the deficiencies in India’s quarantine regime It is a hot day in September, and two men are prising open the leaves of maize in a field in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district. The crop is two months away from being harvested, but the leaves look diseased. Some have streaks of white on them, while others are peppered with holes. Soon, one of the men, entomologist Arakalagud Nanjundaiah Shylesha, spies the culprit behind these holes — a small greenish-brown worm with dark lines along
Tag: Mangaluru
Commercial launch of dwarf hybrid arecanut varieties likely next year
Normally 600 seedlings of tall varieties can be planted on an acre, but if it was dwarf hybrid ones, up to 800 can be planted. The tissue-cultured seedlings of two dwarf hybrid varieties of arecanut developed by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala, are likely to be commercially available to farmers from January next.CPCRI director P. Chowdappa told The Hindu that the institute developed the varieties — VTLAH–1 and VTLAH–2 — more than three years ago. Its tissue culture technology has been transferred to a Tamil Nadu-based company, which in turn is likely to start its commercial seedling production from next year. Both are chali (white arecanut) varieties.Mr. Chowdappa said VTLAH–1 yielded 2.54 kg a palm while