The man who curbed mango tree pests

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 20

Entomologist Dr SS Singh is known for his efforts to curb the spread of shoot gall psylla, a pest that has given mango growers sleepless nights in Uttarakhand.

When mango growers across the state were contemplating abandoning mango orchards due to the attack of the pest on their produce, Dr SS Singh came to their rescue. For the last one decade, the infestation of pest shoot gall psylla has increased considerably in the state, particularly in Dehradun, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar.

Heavily infested trees bear only 40-50 kg of fruits against a normal yield of 250-300 kg. According to an estimate, more than 20,000-hectare area was badly affected with shoot gall psylla in Uttarakhand. The gravity of the situation was such that many farmers even started abandoning their mango orchards.

Dr Singh, while talking to the Tribune, said he, after coming to know about the widespread affect of this pest in Uttarakhand, he approached the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Central Institute of Sub-Tropical Horticulture, Lucknow. “The Institute suggested me that Thiamethoxam, Profenophos and Sticker, if mixed in right proportions with water, can effectively manage shoot gall psylla,” he said.

“I, at once, prepared the mixture and sprayed it in the most affected orchards. To my utter happiness, it reduced the strength of shoot gall psylla up to 90 per cent in most of the orchards,” he pointed out.

He said, subsequently a campaign was started to mobilise the farmers and to develop trust and faith among mango growers in Dehradun from 2013 till date. Farmers were sensitised about the management of pest shoot gall psylla.

Dr SS Singh’s efforts thus resulted in changing the mindset of farmers in the Dehradun region, whose interest towards mango cultivation was dwindling year after year and they were under the impression that this devastating pest couldn’t be controlled. The efforts of Dr SS Singh and his team restored the farmers’ faith and confidence.

Dr SS Singh heads the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhakrani, Dehradun, that works under Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar.