Rout of snails invade on crops in Sangareddy district

Sangareddy: In a rare invasion of crops by insects, a rout of snails began damaging Soybean, Groundnut, and Cotton crops in different areas of Sangareddy district. Worried farmers who spotted snails in abnormal numbers in their fields brought it to the notice of the Agriculture department officials. Similar complaints were received from several farmers in […]

Sangareddy: In a rare invasion of crops by insects, a rout of snails began damaging Soybean, Groundnut, and Cotton crops in different areas of Sangareddy district. Worried farmers who spotted snails in abnormal numbers in their fields brought it to the notice of the Agriculture department officials. Similar complaints were received from several farmers in Morgi cluster of Nagulgidda mandal and Tadkal cluster of Kangti mandals. A huge number of snails were seen in agriculture fields in the Avadatpur village of the Karamungi cluster where the snails had almost damaged 20 per cent of the crops. The farmers were seen collecting bags full of snails from their crops to protect them from snail attack.

Speaking to Telangana Today, a cotton farmer Ramapppa from Chapta-K village has said that he has sown cotton on two acres of land. Since he sowed the seeds three weeks ago, the crop grew to two to three inches in height. He was aghast to see a rout of snails feeding on the crop a couple of days ago. Another farmer Babu Rao from Shapur village in Morgi Cluster sowed Soybean in four acres. He says in his fields also almost 20 per cent of the crop is eaten away by snails. A similar situation was prevailing in different villages in Narayankhed Assembly segment in the district. The Agriculture Extension Officer (AEO) of Morgi cluster Nagesh said he was contacting senior officials on methods to be adopted to control the snail menace. He was visiting the fields to take stock of the situation following complaints from farmers.

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Tadkal Cluster AEO G Santosh Kumar said that he has suggested the farmers to mix 10 Kgs of Rice Bran and two Kgs of Jaggery with 100 grams of Thiodicarb (Larvin) insectside and sprinkle the mixture on soil so that the snails would eat the mix and die within a day.