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Organisation

As the locust is an international pest, control measures are effective only when they are properly organised at the national and international levels. Since 1951, the FAO has taken good interest in the desert-locust control by periodically appraising the overall situation, recommending suitable control techniques and organizational patterns, and to co-ordinating and contributing to the carrying out of control campaigns in certain key areas. More recently, it has been organizing intenational campaigns annually in the Arabian Peninsula with the assistance of a number of countries.

In India, the Central Government has assumed direct responsibility for controlling locusts in the desert areas of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. This area is divided into four circles with headquarters at Jodhpur, Barmer, Bikaner and Palampur, each of which is subdivided into zones and the zones are further divided into outposts. In each zone and at each outpost, technical staff, control equipment, vehicles, etc. are maintained. Wireless-sets are used for transmitting messages and aeroplanes are available for aerial spraying and dusting.

In the cultivated or non-desert areas, the responsibilty for controlling locust rests with the state governments. The State Plant Protection Organisation provides the necessary technical staff, equipment, vehicles, etc. The District Magistrate is in charge of locust-control operations, in carrying out which, he is helped by the State Plant. Protection Officer and the district staff and extension workers of the Revenue and Agricultural Departments.

In locust control, the exact information on mating, egg-laying, hopper concentration, swarm movements, direction of their flights, the size of the locusts, their colour, etc. is of utmost importance for the rapid transport of the necessary equipment and insecticides, the posting of the technical staff, the supply of labour, etc. All people, both officials and non-officials, can therefore, render help by the prompt transmission of the information of the kind mentioned above; they may be having or may have heard to the nearest authorities concerned,e.g. any officer of the Revenue or Agricultural Department or of Community projects or National Extension Service.

About other major pests of different crops and their control, information in a condensed form is given in the following pages :
SrNo. Name of Pest Description and damage Control Measures
1. Tissue-borers
Tryporyza incertulas Walker
Minor ones : Tryporyza innotata Snellen
Sesamia inferens Walker
Procerus indius Kapur
Chilo infuscatellus Snellen
C. simplex Butler
C. zonellus Swinhoe		 Caterpillar bore into stems and pupate within; the central shoot withers and produces a dead-heart; affected plant turn yellow and there is no grain formation;ear-heads appear white and chaffy; active througout the year, except between April and May and between October and November. Plough the land immediately after harvest and destroy stubble; in small areas, or nurseries, collect egg masses; give three fortnightly sprayings with 0.04% Diazinon, Phosphamidon, Fenitrothion, Parathion, Dimethoate, Endosulfan or two applications of Phorate(10%), Lindane (2%) or Endosulfan (4%) granules, 2 and 6 weeks after transplanting
2. Gundhi bugs :
Leptocorisa varicornis Fabricius
L. acuta Thunberg		 Nymphs and adults suck the milky sap of tender grains; affected earheads stand erect like normal ones, but without any grain formation; often the crop is completely destroyed; early varieties, if transplanted late, become more susceptible; active during May to November. Adopt clean cultivation; remove weeds and grasses; dust 10% BHC just before flowering.
3. Paddy gall fly, Pachdiplosis oryzae Wood Mason Maggots attack the base of the growing-point and produce long, tubular silvery galls(silver shoots); plant growth is adversely affected; active during May to September-November. Remove grasses and weeds from bunds around the paddy fields, sow resistant varieties; spray 0.03% Phosphamidon or Dimethoate, 4 times during the vegetative phase of the crop.
4. Rice hispa : Dicladispa armigera (Olivier) (=aenescens Baly) Small blue-black beetles, covered with spines; the grubs make long winding tunnels into leaves, whereas adults scrape the chlorophyl, affected leaves turn whitish and membranous and ultimately dry up. Adopt clean cultivation; clip off leaf tips at the time of transplanting; dust 5% BHC
5. Blue leaf beetle Leptispa pygmaea Baly Found in association with hispa, specially in Karnataka Same as above
6. Paddy caseworm, Nymphula depunctalis Guenee A small white moth, with yellow and dark specks on the wings; greenish caterpillars cut the leaves and form tabular cases around them; several tubes may be seen floating on water or hanging from the plant; the larvae feed on green tissues. Dust 10% BHC or spray 0.04% Endosulfan or 0.2% Carbaryl.
7. Swarming caterpillar, Spodoptera mauritia Boisduval Sporadic, caterpillars appear in big swarms, causing heavy losses, specially when cold weather is suddenly followed by a spell of warmth or drought(30-40 days) is followed by heavy rains; normally appear in July-August Flood paddy field or surround them with trenches having steep sides; dust 10% BHC or spray 0.03% Diehlorvos or Endosulfan
8. Armyworms : Mythimna unipuncta Haworth

M. albistigma

 Caterpillars march from field to field and voraciously feed on foilage; appear after heavy rains or early floods Trap caterpillars in grass heaps or plough up infested fields; dust 10% BHC or spray 0.05% Endosulfan; early stage caterpillars are easy to control.
9. Rice grasshopers : Hieroglyphus banian Fabricius
Minor ones :
H. Nigrorepletus Beliver
H.furcifer Serv.
H.oryzaevorus Carl Acrida exultata Linnaeus
A.turrita Linnaeus Aelopus tamulus Kirby
A.Aularaches miliaris Loxya bidentata Willemse
O.multidentata Will.
O.velox Fabricius		 Appear immediately after rains; nymphs and adults devour leaves and tender shoots and also newly-formed ear-heads; active from July to October-November Plough deep after harvest and scrape bunds; dust with 5-10% BHC
10. Paddy jassids : Nephotettix apicalis Motschulsky

N. impicticeps Fabricius

 Adults small, green, with black spots on forewings; nymphs and adults suck plant sap; affected plants turn yellow and growth is adversely affected Spray 0.04% Phosphamindon, Dimethoate, Monocrotophos or Diazinon or apply as preventive measure Phorate(10%), Lindane(2%) or Disulfoton(5%) granules, 3 and 6 weeks after transplanting.
11. White leaf hoppers, Tettigella spectra Distant Adults larger than those of Nephotettix spp. And white; both nymphs and adults suck sap from young leaves; infested leaves turn yellow Same as No.10 above
12. Fulgorid bug, Nilaparvartha lugens Stal(=sordescens M.) Minor pest; recorded feeding or ripening ear-heads Same as above
13. Paddy thrip
Cloethrips oryzae Williams		 Nymphs and adult lacerate tissues; affected leaves present yellowish streaks; tips curl and wither Spray 0.03% Dimethoate, Phosphamidon or Diazinon
14. Whorl maggot Hydrellia sp. Minor pest; common during kharif, maggots feed in the worls of developing leaves Dust 10% BHC
15. Paddy mealy bug, Ripersia oryzae Green Colonies of reddish-white soft insects infest succelent paddy stems, hidden by outer leaf-sheaths, suck cell sap; growth get stunted; affects ear-head formation Pull out and destroy the infested plants in the initial stage; spray 0.04% Phosphamindon, Diamethoate, Diazinon or Monocrotophes.
16. Rice root aphid, Tetraneura hirsuta Baker Colonies of nymphs and adults suck sap from roots just below soil surface, affected plants become pale and wither. When serious, apply 10% of Phorate or 5% Disulfoton granules near the base of the plants
17. Paddy leaf-roller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guenee Sporadic pest; caterpillars roll the leaf tips and feed inside. Clip and destroy the rolled tips; dust 10% BHC
18. Paddy skippers. Pelopides mathias Fabricius Adult, a dark-brown butterfly; caterpillar, smooth and green, feeds on leaves Dust 10% BHC or 4% Carbaryl or spray 0.05% Endoslfan
19. Paddy root weevil, Echinocnemus oryzae Marshal Small grey weevil, grubs attack paddy roots and affect the growth of plants In known endemic areas, mix 5% Aldrin or Chlordane with the soil before sowing.



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    - Insect Pests of Crops
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