POINGUINNIM: At a crucial moment when most of the crops, including the paddy, are in the blooming stage, some of the crops have been affected by the pests and farmers have been flocking to the Canacona Zonal agriculture office.

The authorities at the office have advised them not to use chemical pesticides as that would be harmful for the fruits, but rather to use Indent of Bio-Pesticides and Pheremones traps which can be sold on 50 per cent subsidy to the farmers, informed ZAO, Canacona, Mr Rajesh Desai.

Speaking to this reporter, Mr Desai suggested that the farmers can use Beauveria Bassiana, which is Entomopathogenic fungus, which is highly active on Lepidoptera catterpillars including helicoverpa, spodoptera, plutella, borers having catterpillars, pests of vegetables and ornamentals, whiteflies on vegetables, aphids etc.

This bio-pesticides can be used and applied late evening as spray, by use of any conventional sprayers. The process can be repeated for better results 2-3 times in 15 days’ interval, Mr Desai opines.

Mr Desai further told this reporter that another type of bio-pesticide called Metarrhizium Anisopliae, which too is an agent on white grubs, beetle grubs, caterpillars, semi-loopers, cut-worms, aphids of various crops, can be effective when it is dissolved in water and subsequently sprayed by a sprayer. These should not be used with fungicides. They can rather be applied late evening on young larval stages or on sighting of laying of eggs.

Farmers can also use Verticillium Lecanii, Pseudomomas Fluorescens and Paecilomyces Lilacinus, which too are effective when sprayed at right times on bacterial and fungal diseases in vegetables and fruit crops, informed Mr Desai.