FAO India organized a virtual training programme on ‘Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Maize Crop with special reference to Fall Army Worm (FAW)’ from July 21-22, 2020 as a part of   FAO’s “Time-critical measures to support early warning and monitoring and sustainable management of the Fall Armyworm in India” project.

The inaugural session on July 21, 2020 was attended by Dr. Sujay Rakshit, Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana; Dr. N. Baktha Vatsalam, Director (Acting), ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), Bengaluru;  Dr. N. Sathyanarayana, Joint Director, Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage (DPPQS), Faridabad; and Mr.  Tomio Shichiri, FAO Representative in India.

The two day training was attended by 122 participants. The participants were from the ICAR- Indian Institute of Maize Research, National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, All India Coordinated Project on Maize, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and State Agricultural Department Officers from Mizoram. The training was facilitated by FAO, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and ICAR.

The training spread over two days covered, the national and international perspective (Africa and Latin America) on FAW, and the various management techniques for mitigating its threat. Techniques included the use of different agro-ecological approaches; breeding for development of host plant resistance; identification of safer insecticides and effective bio-pesticides; mass production of bio-agents involving the use of safe, locally available management measures; and strengthening monitoring and surveillance for early detection.  

The training emphasized the need to create awareness on early monitoring of the FAW incidence on maize and to advice the farmers to initiate timely management techniques in a sustainable manner. This training programme underlined the immediate need to integrate cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical management measures. The training also emphasized prevention through combining effective monitoring and early warning systems, encouraging the use of FAO’s FAW Monitoring and Early Warning System (FAMEWS) tool – along with IPM as the basis to support farmers in managing the FAW threat. This training will help the participants to adopt IPM practices in sustainable manner in the respective maize agroecological regions and to orient research programmes on host plant resistance to FAW. 

The training ended with the concluding remarks of coordinators, Mr. Rajesh Dubey FAO India and Dr. J. C. Sekhar, ICAR-IIMR.