Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of US-based chemical firm DowDuPont, Monday launched a new insect control solution to protect corn crop against damage from 'fall armyworm' infestation.
The Union Agriculture Ministry has approved the insect control solution called 'Spinetoram 11.7% SC' which is marketed in India as 'Delegate Insecticide'.
"Our focus now is to make sure that this solution is available quickly to those who need it the most," Corteva Agriscience Managing Director (South Asia) Subbarao Kolli said in a statement.
The damaging spread of fall armyworm is already having a direct impact on food security and creating significant economic losses not only for farmers/consumers but also for the poultry feed industry, which relies on corn grains to meet the public demand for poultry meat and eggs, he said.
Fall armyworm, a pest native to America that feeds preferably on corn, was initially reported in Karnataka in 2018, before spreading to 14 states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
Corn is cultivated in approximately 55 million hectares in the entire Asia Pacific region. After rice and wheat, it is the third largest cultivated food crop in India with approximately 9 million hectares under cultivation across the country.
Corteva Agriscience said it will conduct a series of training programs across the country to educate farmers about fall armyworm and its damage symptoms.
The use of new product along with the principles of integrated pest management can help provide effective, uniform and long-lasting control of the pest and manage the development of insect resistance, it added.
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