Fall Armyworm attack: 'Eastern India more vulnerable to infestation'

Warmer temperatures increase the metabolism and reproductive rates of the pest

Chilli under attack: New thrips species destroys farms in 6 states

Farmers are being pushed to suicide amid market shortage  

Savage mode: In a warmer, wetter world, pests are multiplying faster and damaging crops severely

If such attacks increase, it will affect the critical food supply and overall yield

Of pests and climate change

The locust attack in western India is not just another local phenomoenon. Eventually, it traces back to climate change

Climate mapping can point to danger spots where new pest threatens Africa’s cycads

Cycads, the world’s oldest seed-producing plants, are facing extinction. Africa is home to a variety of cycad species 

Locust attack: Global swarming

The increase in frequency of climate change-triggered events, like cyclones, has resulted in extended and multiple breeding seasons of locusts …

Fall Armyworm attack: Dependence on maize hits Telangana farmers hard

Monocropping maize prepared a ground for the pest attack in the state

Fall Armyworm attack: Low maize yield reduces cattle feed

While farmers say their cereal production has dropped to half, officials claim the pest’s effect on the state is minimal

Fall Armyworm attack: Deadliest pest epidemic grips India

In nine months, the pest has spread to 10 Indian states causing widespread crop damage

Why India is vulnerable to attacks by alien species

The country has faced at least 10 major invasive pest and weed attacks in the past 15 years, with most recent being the fall armyworm that …

Birds impacting agricultural crops a major concern

Many avian species damage crops during sowing, seedling and ripening stages, leading to economic losses to farmers 

Fall Armyworm attack: Rwanda fights it back successfully

The country couldn’t predict the pest attack owing to few resources, but it successfully minimised its impact within a year of identifying it

Are GM crops a real solution to pest attacks in Africa?

Adoption of GM crops is widely cited as a solution to combat pest resistance, but if recent developments are considered, the answer is not that simple

Pest attacks on rise across India, yet no discussion on spurious pesticides

As allegedly fake pesticides prove ineffective in controlling pests, farmers resort to indiscriminate spraying

Ecologically based rodent management can help control pests in rural India

Full community engagement, reducing access to food and shelter and direct killing is the best way to manage rodent populations

Journey of the Fall Armyworm

Fall Armyworm has infested crops in over 50 countries across two continents in just over two years

Fall Armyworm attack: Odisha braces itself for the pest

After its attack last year, the state agriculture department issued advisories to all districts and distributed leaflets listing preventive and …

Lessons on how to effectively tackle insect invasions

There are alternatives to pesticides including integrated pest management. This is an approach that doesn’t rule out the use of pesticides, …

Cotton Curse: How pink bollworm evolved to be the biggest threat for Bt cotton

Farmers say the pest has grown to become worse than the American bollworm

Cotton Curse: Damage by pink bollworm to Bt Cotton worst in two decades

Farmers say damage by pink bollworm worse than American bollworm for which the Bt Cotton hybrid was created  

Fall Armyworm attack: Maharashtra grappling with the chaos

While the deadly pest has infested close to 15 districts of Maharashtra, many farmers lack any knowledge about it

FAW attack: Centre orders seed treatment with ‘unapproved’ chemicals

The government has recommended use of controversial chemicals for treatment of seeds without prior permission from the Central Insecticide Board …

Alien pest invades farmlands in Africa, destroys crops in more than 10 countries

Unlike the native pest, the fall armyworm from the Americas is harder to detect and eradicate

Warm temperatures for prolonged periods may have led to massive pest attack in Assam

28,000 hectares of paddy crop in 15 districts destroyed by armyworm

Cotton Curse: Bt Cotton losses by pink bollworm pushing farmers to brink of suicide

Part 1: Recurring losses due to pests in North India compounding farmers’ distress, finds DTE ground report