Farm level implementable other than chemical control, trenches formation, fire strokes usage and making sounds.
Farm level implementable is better to go with spraying of Azadiractin 1500 ppm @ 5ml/ lit or Need Seed Kernal Extract (NSKE ) @ 1% of water because it act as one of the best antifeedant.
Other than chemicals/ Biopesticides, as they are in my knowledge/aware of.....kindly suggest some other measures
1. Adults can be beaten to death by thorny sticks, brooms or can be swept together and buried underground in heaps. These things are easy to do when the females are laying eggs.
2. Farmers should go to their cropped field and make loud sounds by beating empty tins/ metal plates, drums or radio or through other electronic sound systems to prevent locust swarm landing in the crop.
3. Spray neem-based formulation (0.15 % EC) @ 3 ml/ liter of water on standing crop as feeding deterrent (Locust not known to feed on Neem plant).
4. Dig a trench 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide in front of the marching hopper band and then apply Cypermethrin 50 EC @ 2 ml per liter of water or Carbosulfan 1 g/l per liter of water. Dusting with Cypermethrin 10 WP or Fenvelerate 0.4 D (25 kg/ ha) in the trenches also effective especially against nymphs.
5. Poison bait consisting of wheat or rice bran, an insecticide and attractant like molasses may be useful [Rice bran + Jaggery + Chlorpyriphos (Can be changed depending on availability, as it is banned in recent government order): 10kg + 1 kg + 1 liter] prepare in small balls, and spray/spread in the field. Poison baits are effective when used early in the morning or in the evening. During the day, the baits dry quickly so hoppers do not eat it.
The IPM has not been worked out because as and when its incursion is reported in border areas particularly in desert areas, chemical control is immediately followed by Governments to control its spread. Integrated approaches consisting physical, chemical and biological means could be easily worked out. Indirectly integrated approaches are being followed using noise creation systems and disturbing the insects for not to settle, biocontrol agents such as metrizinum could be used.
In Kenya the government ordered a lot of chemicals to spray the locusts using helipcopters and others doing manually.
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