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To: stomper who wrote (27461)	2/18/2003 8:55:17 AM
From: AugustWest	Respond to of 57110

I'll bet these armyworms could kick the Frenchs' asses! (COMTEX) B: Armyworm Outbreak Needs to Be Contained B: Armyworm Outbreak Needs to Be Contained Harare, Feb 18, 2003 (The Herald/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- THE armyworm outbreak in most parts of the country needs to be contained, as it is likely to compound food shortages if not dealt with in time. What is particularly sad about the invasions is that the worms are destroying crops recovering from moisture stress that had been caused by the prolonged dry spell. The first armyworm invasion was reported in Guruve, Mashonaland Central province, early this month. The province, which is Zimba-bwe's breadbasket, is among the few provinces in the county that have received significant rainfall so far this season. Crops are reported to be in fair condition in Manicaland, Mashona-land Central and East and some parts of Mashonaland West. In Matabeleland South, especially Beitbridge and Matobo districts, the crop was reported to be under severe moisture stress to the extent of reaching permanent wilting point. In its latest fortnightly crop and livestock report, Arex said other areas that had been affected by the armyworm included Bindura and Shamva districts in Mashonaland Central. The outbreak has also spread to other six provinces of Mashonaland West and East, Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands and Matabele-land North. Matabeleland North is the latest province to be invaded by the notorious pest. The armyworm is reported to have caused some damage to both pasture and cereal crops. What is worrying about the armyworm invasion is that it comes at a time when the county is facing serious food shortages emanating from last year's El Nino-induced drought. Zimbabwe is heading for another drought in two years as most parts of the country have recorded below normal rainfall, halfway through the farming season. The number of people in need of food aid is likely to increase given the fact that those who managed to harvest something last year may fail to realise any harvest this year due to the poor rainfall pattern. There is need, therefore, for the Government to mobilise resources to control the voracious army of caterpillars that ruthlessly attack any type of grass, including cereal crops. Efforts to contain the armyworm invasions must be intensified, as the crops that are still in good condition would go a long way in boosting food supplies when harvested. Thus, chemicals, knapsack sprayers and human resources have been deployed in the affected areas and mobilisation of more resources is continuing. If the armyworm invasions are not controlled in time this means that months of hard work by the farmers would have been wasted. The armyworm are small velvety black caterpillars with fine yellow or white lines on the sides and top of their bodies. They move very fast and can spread over a large area within a short space of time. The caterpillars breed in thousands during the rainy season when plants are green, coupled with conducive conditions. A female armyworm can lay up to 800 eggs before moths emerge from the pupa stage five weeks later. The caterpillars are bred from an insect known as noctud, which normally breeds in Zambia and Mozambique. It only breeds in Zimbabwe when winds carry the pest from Mozambique and Zambia into Zimbabwe. The armyworm are easy to control and the basic chemicals used are carbaryl, malathion, endosufan and trichlorfon. This could be achieved if farmers made a habit of patrolling their fields and pastures looking for the worms. It is also even possible to prevent the worms from entering the fields from pastures by spraying across the boundaries in the same manner firebreak lines are created. In the past, the commercial farmers had the resources to spray and fight the caterpillars themselves. However, the new farmers need advice on how to deal with the armyworm menace. It appears there is a general trend of the armyworm invasions in drought years. The last serious armyworm invasion in the county was reported during the 1991/1992 farming season, another drought year. Ironically, the first outbreak was reported in areas around the Zambezi valley in Mashonaland Central. There is need, therefore, for Arex to put in place measures that will ensure the continuous monitoring of the traditional areas prone to the armyworm invasions like those around the Zambezi valley. It is cheaper to contain the caterpillar invasions from the onset before they engulf the country. There are indications that the recent armyworm invasions in most parts of the country could have been contained had there been a speedy reaction by the Arex officials. The International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCO-CSA), based in Zambia, wrote to agriculture ministries of Malawi, Moza-mbique, Zambia and Zimbabwe last December alerting them of widespread armyworm invasions in the region. It said widespread caterpillar outbreaks had been reported in Ndola, Luanshaya, and Kitwe districts in the Copperbelt province of Zambia during the third week of December. The IRLCO-CSA noted that there was a high probability of armyworm outbreaks in other countries within the region. Thus, the Arex officials and other stakeholders should have been on alert of the pest's outbreak following the warning by the regional organisation. A swift reaction to the first reports of armyworm invasion in Guruve could have contained the spreading to other parts of the country since the caterpillars pose a great threat to the late-planted cereal crops. by Tandayi Motsi Copyright The Herald. Distributed by All Africa Global Media(AllAfrica.com) -0- KEYWORD: Zimbabwe * end of story *