Having been a gardener for all these years, it’s not strange for me to deal with pests from time to time, though none is as detrimental as the armyworm when it comes to wheat crops. There are also these ravenous bugs that ravage through an entire field night and day consuming leaves, stems, as well as grains. Through time I have found that relying on the chemical pesticides as means of protecting our crops is not very sustainable. Integrated pest management is the best approach to armyworm control in wheat but more focus is given to cultural practices and biological interpretations. There is one product which I have rather developed a belief in and that is BT Thuricide.When BT Thuricide is combined with other practices, gardeners as well as farmers can control armyworms in the most natural way possible.
The Effects of Armyworms in Relation to Wheat
Among these pests it is possible to single out the army worms which preferentially feed on cereals such as wheat. It can remove the leaves of the plants, shrivel the stems or, depending on the level of the attack, consume the grain heads. This results to low yields and poor quality of crops that are harvested, which in one way or the other have a toll on the farmer. Unlike other insects, the pest has the tendency to invade and infest in large numbers within a short duration; therefore the sooner the infested area is attended the better.
Cultural Management Practices for Armyworm in Wheat
However, before we proceed to cover the biological controls it is imperative that we give some attention to the cultural controls. These non-chemical methods can go a long way in preventing armyworm infestations in the first place:
- Crop Rotation: Cropping is one of the easiest and also very effective methods that can be used to interrupt the life cycle of armyworms. This means that so as to minimize on the chances of armyworms reproducing in the soil from one planting season to another one should interchange wheat with crops that are not favourite with the armyworms such as the legumes.
- Early Planting: Armyworms are somewhat more of a pest towards the later end of the growing season. Sowing your wheat early you provide it with an opportunity to grow before the armies of these worms are most active and destructive.
- Soil Management: According to the above research, healthy soil also results to healthy plants. Admixing the soil with organic matter and making sure that the soil has a good drain age will enable the wheat plant to withstand the stress caused by armyworm feeding hence lowering the average damage.
- Field Monitoring: Reasonable rout of patrol is necessary. It is therefore advisable to check for early visible signs of the armyworm so that you can act on them before the situation goes out of control. These are the signs indicating the infestation by the caterpillars: the fact of the leaves’ chewing and the existence of the larvae in the field.
Biological Controls: The Central Function of Bacillus thuringiensis
Thus using biocontrol methods as a strategy to eliminate the armyworm is most efficient and very effective than chemical control. The best known biological pest control solution is Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), a naturally occurring soil bacterium whose mode of action is lethal to caterpillar pests such as armyworms. BT operates by generating some proteins which once ingested by the caterpillar jeopardize its digestive system and therefore dies.
That having been said, and as one who has first-hand experience with organic pest control, I can say that the product from Novobac known as BT Thuricide is a good one to use to control armyworms in the wheat fields. This is a chemical which contains the insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis BT insecticide. One of the strengths of BT Thuricide is that instead of eliminating all insects in a given area, it only kills the caterpillars and spares the positive insects such as pollinators.
Use of BT Thuricide in Wheat Fields
Using BT Thuricide to manage armyworms requires a strategic approach to ensure the best results:
- Early Detection and Application: Scheduling is all important. It is recommended to use BT Thuricide, once armyworm larva is identified in the field. It is best used when the caterpillars have not yet grown to full size, as the larger ones are able to resist the effects of the bacterium.
- Thorough Coverage: Make sure they are applied right on the wheat plants and the heavily infested parts of armyworms such as lower surface of the leaves and stems.
- Reapplication: Reapplication of BT Thuricide is done after 7-10 days depending on the seriousness of the infestation and conditions of the environment. The product can be washed away by rain, therefore, the consumer has to reapply after a down pour.
Expert Insights: Sustainable Agricultural Practices
To further optimise armyworm control for sustainability, I have been speaking with microbial agriculturists from highly ranked universities and research institutions. A sustainable agriculture professor who is also an entomologist by profession John Spencer points out that the biological control solution such as Bacillus thuringiensis needs to be integrated in IPM systems.
According to Dr. Spencer: “BT is now an essential component of contemporary production agriculture”. “In contrast to synthetic pesticides, BT does not have an adverse affect on the environment and non-target species; it is microbial and is compatible with integrated pest management systems which lowers the chemical input on the farms but does not compromise the efficacy of pest control. ”
Dr. Spencer also emphasizes the need to use biological control in association with culture practices. “No technique alone will eliminate armyworm,” he says. “Of all these methods it is the combination of crop rotation, early planting, soil management, and bio control such as the use of BT Thuricide that are effective.
Conclusion: Wheat farmers and the long-term nature of climate change: An analysis
To this date, I have come to understand that it is not advisable to use a single approach in controlling armyworms in wheat. Early planting with following cultural practices like crop rotation and BT Thuricide which is a biochemical shows that farmers can control armyworms without using chemicals. Bacillus Thuringiensis, the active ingredient in BT insecticide Thuricide, has been proved to be both safe and efficient, hence its use as a linchpin in moving to green agriculture.
Despite these issues that we still encounter in pest management, the biological control methods such as use of BT Thuricide biotype is clearly the way to go. These methods now help us to  protect the crops, conserve the environment and in turn, maintain the effective and sustainable farming system of the farms.
