Invasive pest infects apple orchards in South Kashmir again
Follow advisory issued by the SKAUST: Officials
Srinagar: Apple growers in different areas of south Kashmir are in distress as pests have been infecting their orchards for third consecutive year while every year new areas is reported to have been affected.
Locals from Zainapora area said that such kind of an insect has been found rarely and that the pest was creating havoc in the orchards.
“Wherever this pest was found the produce was less shiny, smaller in size as the insect sucks all the nutrients from the trees,” the locals said.
Sameer Ahmad, an apple grower from Shopian, said that new pest is laying web layers from one branch to another, followed by trunk and then even inserting its body into the fruit.
“This pest whose number is in millions is sucking all nutrients from the tree due to which size of fruit remains small. It is damaging leaves and then the trees as well,” he said.
The growers said that two years back it was found mainly in Zainapora hamlet and the next year it made its presence felt in Zainapora, Litter, Watchi and Yaripora areas, however, this year more areas in South Kashmir are complaining about the infestation.
The growers have demanded attention of higher ups so that other areas won’t get damaged.
Orchardists said during apple picking season, this pest bite causes allergy and then they are not even able to hire labourers.
“Even after spraying insecticides several times, there is hardly any affect on this pest,” they said.
Orchards where leaf miner was reported have even complained about premature fruit fall in their orchards last year.
Senior Scientists from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) said that it is an invasive insect which has been identified as “leaf miner and has probably reached here some four years back.”
Leaf miners were reported some time before but in last two year their manifestation was very huge, however, their number isn’t uncontrollable, they said, adding that “Most pathogens and fungal or bacterial diseases are invasive species and this leaf miner is curable if growers will follow advisories regularly while requesting farmers to co-operate with the department.
Pertinently, the department of Horticulture has been issuing advisories for farmers to stop the spread of leaf miner.
