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| Looming Locust amid COVID-19 | | |
Dr. Banarsi Lal and Dr. RK Arora
Locust is a noxious pest of international importance. It is a ployphagous pest and feeds on all types of agricultural crops, fodders, forest etc. It does not eat neem, jamun, sesum etc. Its three species are normally found in India. Locusts swarms cause colossal losses to a variety of vegetation including the bark of trees. In the past also this pest has caused famines many times in several parts of the world. The outbreak of locusts generally depends on the climatic conditions. The desert locust passes through three different stages in the course of its life cycle viz., egg, nymph and adult. They are migratory in nature and originate from the various breeding grounds. Presently the locust is wreaking havoc from African nations to India. They are very voracious eaters and can eat plant equal to their weight per day. Generally they can travel 18-24 km per hour.
They can cover the large distances without taking rest. As their population increases, they become gregarious. Gregariousness is the tendency of animals to form social groups to hunt for food together. Their co-ordinate each other movements and form swarms. They become gregarious when they touch each other on their hind legs. The touching of hind legs release a large amount of serotonin, a happy hormone. This hormone is also released in the human beings while exercising the body. The gregariousness changes their colour to yellowish-brown and hardens their muscles. Nymphs are flightless young ones of locust. They fly only when their wings are sprouted. A female locusts can lay eggs for atleast three times in its lifecycle. Population of locust can multiply 20 fold in three months.
Presently locust attack has been widely spread in the continents like Asia and Africa. Locust attack can aggravate with the onset of monsoon which creates favourable atmosphere for them for breeding. Their increasing infestation can cause food insecurity and difficulty in pasture access for livestock. Presently many nations are reeling under the threat of locusts. They are causing the inverse impact on the food security. According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), locust attack has caused an unusual threat to food security and livelihood in certain parts of South West Asia, East and West Africa and India.
Locusts flock into swarms when they are in gregarious phase. They are very destructive and cause huge loss to the agricultural production. They are said to cover the one-fifth of earth surface and can cause threat to the livelihood of farmers. In a single swarm about 80 millions locusts can be contained. They can fly up to 100 km in the direction of wind. Rains and spring can intensify their numbers. Locusts have caused the serious threat to agricultural production in east Africa, the Indo-Pakistan border area, Sudan and Sahel in West Africa. The swarms are maturing and laying eggs also spreading. The affect is likely to increase in the coming months due to rainfall. In the Southwest Asia region, the migration from Baluchistan began and groups of swarms have been seen in certain parts of India. Locusts have hit large swathes of India and Pakistan in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic.
It is a new challenge for India amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently India is fighting a two-front war against the coronavirus and locusts. Swarms of locusts have invaded vast swathes of land in India since April this year. They entered in Rajasthan via Sindh province of Pakisthan. After that they entered in Madhya Pradesh. But now they have been entered in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh also. Their movements were associated with the strong westerly winds from Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal. Rain bearing winds aided their transport towards India. It has posed a serious threat as the farmers are already struggling to shake off the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The size of these swarms varies from less than one square km to hundreds of kms. One square Km swarm contains about 40 million locusts. The locusts entered in India were of 10-12 days old and they were covering the large distances in search of food. As the Rabi season is over now and Kharif season has been started, they are covering the large distances to find the vegetation. Presently they are spoiling the vegetables and fruit plants. A swarm of 40 million locusts can eat as much as food for the 35,000 people (one person eats about 2.3 Kg of food a day). Already many people are food insecure now and this is another hunger threat. Locusts can seriously increase the threat to food security. Hunger is on the rise in both Africa and Asia and there is a high prevalence of under nutrition. According to World Food Programme, the world is on the brink of hunger pandemic and can face famines of biblical proportions within a short few months. According to the reports, there are more the 135 million people who are acutely food insecure.
With the onset of monsoon, the locust infestation in India and East Africa can be aggravated as it will provide a conducive atmosphere for them to breed. Presently about 23 nations in the world have been affected by the locust infestation. In India, locusts have heavily damaged the crops in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Punjab and Haryana have also reported locusts’ infestation. The aggressive pest has effected more than 90,000 hectares area of Western India. If the locusts attack is not managed in India, agriculture will be impacted largely in the locust prone states. Climate change has played a crucial role in increasing the locusts’ infestation in India. Their numbering can increase as the temperature soars up. Unexpected rain fall and cyclones can increase the breeding among the locusts and can lead to invasion of locusts. Artificial Intelligence and use of organophosphate agro-chemicals can be utilized to control this lethal pest otherwise they can devastate Kharif crops.
Vehicle mounted sprayers and aerial sprayers can be utilized for the chemical sprays. Drum beating can also be used for its management. They can be burnt with the flame throwers and can also be killed by digging the pits. A drone can spray pesticide on about 2.5 acres in 15 minutes. Combined crisis of COVID-19 pandemic and locust attack can lead to further famines, increase poverty and diseases. The disturbance in supply chains, labour losses, loss of agricultural produce , the disruption of markets and transportation due to the lockdown have caused a disastrous impact on the economy of the nation. There is need to apply an integrated approach for monitoring, surveillance and investment in the preparedness plan to contain the locusts invasion. Social protection can be given to the farmers through effective strategies. The situation is really alarming as the affected states are already reeling under COVID-19.Locust management has come up another challenge. We need to be more watchful and alert in the coming months. Strident efforts are needed to arrest the swarms. |
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