D
espite the arrival
of festivals, the Bt
cotton farmers of
India’s western and
central agriculture
belt this time have
too little to smile about. Having
witnessed happier times in the past,
the imminent threat to their crops,
the pink bollworm (PBW), is giving
them the sleepless nights. Old story
one may say but their worries this
time can no longer be brushed
aside as the bollworm has now
rechristened itself into a resistant
avatar.
almost all districts in the region.
“The problem occurs during dry
spells and when we do not receive
adequate rains,” he says while
pointing out that the insects have
been noticed over past couple of
months.
Giving a hint towards the gravity
of the situation, Mr Prabhakar
Rao, Chairman and Managing
Director, Nuziveedu Seeds points
out that the damage ranges from
10 percent to 40 percent as per
various sources in the current year.
As per Government report damages
in Gujarat ranged from 10-67
percent in 2015-16. In the absence
of cotton, or as a genetically pre-
disposed condition, the pink
bollworm undergoes hibernation
or diapause that allows it to be
dormant for 6-8 months, until the
next season. “Insect resistance to
toxins is a signal that is dangerous
to ignore. The problem can only get
worse over the ensuing years, if left
unattended,” he cautions.
Yet, this did not happen overnight.
Over the years, pink bollworm has
developed resistance to Bt cotton
and during the last cotton season
alone the pest has caused a crop
loss ranging from 20 percent to
25 percent across the states. Some
farmers even lost the entire crop
as it had to be uprooted due to
severe damage. This year, the loss
could even go up, which could lead
to major agrarian crisis, if timely
checks are not implemented,
experts have said. Understanding the problem in
right context
Mr S S Bainade, former professor at
Marathwada Agriculture University,
describes the pink bollworm
problem as “quite serious” in It was during the year 2009 when
the Monsanto entomologists
detected and, ultimately confirmed,
pink bollworm resistance to the
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