- The changing climate patterns in Kerala pose a serious threat to its farming sector.
- Crop losses from wildlife incursions, including Malabar parakeets, snails and now infestation of spotted locusts, leading to significant damage.
- Plantations of coconut, banana, cardamom, pepper, and other crops, were severely affected.
- Solutions recommended by experts:
- Ploughing fields to expose grasshopper eggs to sunlight
- Using neem oil as a repellent
- Spraying insecticides like Lambda-cyhalothrin.
- Increased Infestation due to changing climate patterns, including temperature variations and irregular rainfall, which have also led to other pest attacks such as snails in cardamom plantations.
| Aularches miliaris Scientific name of Spotted Locust. It is a colourful grasshopper from the family Pyrgomorphidae and is native to South and Southeast Asia. Bright warning colours deter predators, and they eject a toxic foam when disturbed. Slow-moving, jumps low, does not fly, and produces a sharp rasping sound. Herbivorous, feeding on the leaves of host plants. |
| African Snails in Cardamom Farms: Cardamom plants take 90 days from flowering to be ready for harvest. Snails feed on flowers and young pods that develop from flowers. Snails have a lifespan of 5 to 10 years, reaching full maturity within a year of hatching. Around 80% of the eggs laid by mature snails hatch. In adverse weather conditions, they can remain dormant within their thick shell for up to three years, making them difficult to control. African snails feed on more than 500 types of plants. |
Dig Deeper: Read about invasive species that turned out as agricultural pests.
