Date palm orchards in Khairpur district, Sindh, have been invaded by laser date moth damaging the immature fruits. According to a survey conducted by the Agriculture Research, Sindh, the same insects had affected date palm orchards in Khairpur during 1998. It has re-appeared after a lapse of seven years (1998-2005). The laser date moth, Batrachedva amydraula, is reported causing serious damage to date palm in Libya, Southern and Central plains of Iraq and Iran.
It is a pest on immature fruits on the bunch. Larvae may attack and damage a large number of fruits from April to June or July. It enters the fruit by making small hole near calyx, feed on the pulp and immature seed inside it.
Its multiplication has increased due to favourable climatic conditions. Common consensus among the growers was that the severity of the problem has increased due to long spell of winter and northern winds.
The survey said that immature fruits are damaged by laser date moth, with the result the green/immature fruits are dried up or fall down.
The infestation of the moth is more than 40 percent due to climatic conditions. This year, the cool season has run for a longer time as compared to last three to four years. The aerial spray is not available due to (i) inter-culturing like mango, banana, fodder crop. These crops shall severely be harmful to health and at the same time environmental pollution will occur, and (ii) there are so many fish ponds, irrigation canals, cattle farms, poultry farms, etc, and human lives are present in surrounding areas of the orchards. And in case of aerial spray these may be severely damaged.
Growers have been advised to use insecticides against the insect, besides application of irrigation water to the soil so that larvae present in the dropped fruits are destroyed. It has been recommended that awareness campaign be launched on radio and television. In case of infestation, heavy irrigation should be done, balanced use of fertiliser, and dropped fruits may be collected and destroyed.
The growers locally call this problem as Bar where immature fruits are damaged by laser date moth with the result the green/immature fruits get dried up or dropped. The intensity of the problem was alarming as no appropriate measures have been taken. Few growers have taken measures and sprayed their orchards with recommended pesticides. Generally, the measures taken by growers have been found unsatisfactory.
An investigation team collected immature (green) and dried fruits and dissected the collected fruit samples, 100 fruits were dissected from each location. Data indicated that the infestation ranged from seven to 30 percent with 10 percent live larvae on fresh fruits. The infestation on fallen fruits was around 40 percent with 20 percent live larvae. Variety Asil was found most susceptible than Toto, Kerbali, and Panjmail and the young trees were severely damaged than the tall trees.
Among the short-term measures, the Agriculture Research, Sindh, has recommended that awareness campaign may be launched immediately on radio/TV and through pamphlets as follows:
(i) Dropped fruits may be collected and buried, (ii) ploughing should be done to kill the immature stages of the pests, (iii) in case of infestation, heavy irrigation should be done, (iv) the balanced use of fertilisers may be practised, and (v) mix cropping with high delta crops may be discouraged.
In affected areas ground spray has been advised with insecticides. Among the long-term measures include: establishment of National Date Palm Research Centre in Khairpur for which funds may be obtained from the federal government and international donor agencies besides FAO consultancy may also be sought to cater the needs for Khairpur date palm industry.
The current challenges to the date palm industry are: management of date gardens through tissue culture, introduction of new varieties, plant nutrition management, and pre and post-harvest losses management.
Similarly, emphasis has been laid on pest management to control date palm disease which devastated dates industry during 1983, un-identified disease particularly observed in taluka Kingri during 2004, and laser date moth damage recorded with considerable loss during 1998 and 2005.