Shake off those caterpillars
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CTA. 2000. Shake off those caterpillars. Spore 90. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/46981
Internet URL: http://spore.cta.int/images/stories/pdf/old/spore90.pdf
If you notice Helicoverpa caterpillars in your field of pigeon peas, call over a couple of friends or family members and start shaking the vermin from the plants. Shaking and collecting them on plastic sheets laid out between the rows of plants and...
If you notice Helicoverpa caterpillars in your field of pigeon peas, call over a couple of friends or family members and start shaking the vermin from the plants. Shaking and collecting them on plastic sheets laid out between the rows of plants and destroy them is a method traditionally used by Indian farmers. It appears to be more effective, cheaper and healthier than using chemicals. For a long time this method was regarded by experts as uneconomical and inefficient, but recently the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) evaluated the method in their laboratories and proved the contrary. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a source of inexpensive protein mostly in southern Asia and eastern Africa. The Helicoverpa pod borer is the major constraint to production wherever they grow. From the 1970s onwards, chemical insecticides were used by farmers, but to little avail. The chemicals were costly, the caterpillars soon developed resistance and yields declined. Some farmers in India brought back their 'shaky' technology. Three people can cover half a hectare per day and the method can be repeated after a new infestation. Even with labour costs included this method is cheaper than using chemical sprays. Where labour is costly or scarce, it is more difficult to implement. Proof, once more, that there is no shaking off those old ways