Infestation Of Armyworm Devastate Maize Farms In Rivers State

Deadly larvae known as armyworms are devastating maize farms in Rivers State.
The larvae attack the crops when they are only a few weeks old and abort them. They have been around for some time but their devastating effect is now badly felt as more people launched into farming with the prohibitive cost of food in the state.
The high cost of food had forced people in both rural and urban areas to resort to farming this year to reduce cost of food items.
Mrs. Evelyn Gomba- Obe, a farmer from Alesa in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, lamented that all her efforts to grow maize this year has been frustrated by the invasion of the armyworms.
Mrs. Barbara Eson Goya-Elechi, an agronomist and agriculture extension officer, in Rivers State said the pest infestation is not peculiar to Rivers State only that most of the farmers have failed to take preventive measures to check it.
She said the invasion is by a pest called Spodoptera-frugiperda. “It is an insect that is active in its different stages of life. But the most effective and destructive stage of it is the larvae stage which is seen as a matured caterpillar.
“This insect lays eggs in masses and most times this stage is neglected. This brings about a continuous attack, making it difficult to control,” she said.
To control the invasion of the larvae, Goya-Elechi said, farmers had to take a number of steps, which include choice of insecticide, frequency of spraying, and method of spraying.
She lamented that one of the challenges encountered in the area was that some farmers refuse to apply insecticide to their farms. This attitude she said also endangered the farms of their neighbours, who may have disinfected their own farms. “This will pose a great loss to the farmer who has put in resources but gets nothing from the farm.”
She advised that every farmer should take active step to apply insecticides with active ingredients on their farms. She listed available insecticides to include Emmamectin Benzoate, Acephate 75% SP, Dichlorvos100% EC WN, Broad Spectrum insecticide, Chlopyriphos + Cypermethrin, and Profenophos + Cypermethrin.
Mrs. Goya-Elechi cautioned farmers to strictly follow instructions on the labels to use the insecticides while using them. “Usually, it is advisable while controlling insects, fungicides should be used to control the outbreak of fungi as most insect are disease vectors,” she cautioned.
To prevent infestation, the agronomist said insecticide and fungicide should be sprayed once weekly as crops emerge as most of the effect is evident on two weeks old crops.
“Farmers should not wait for the insect to infest on the crop before prevention. In cases where there is already an attack, farmers should spray at an interval of four days.
“Spraying should be done in upwards and downward movements making sure the insecticides reach even the back of the leaves, the stalk and the root region. This is because farmers cannot easily identify areas where eggs are laid. So, in order to prevent hatching of eggs and fresh attack, farmers should spray at the base of the crop on the soil,” Goya-Elechi added.