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To protect against pests, farmers often spray chemical pesticides. Although this controls pests for some time, it has many side effects in the long run. Excessive use of pesticides on one hand affects the quality of the crop and on the other hand the crop also becomes poisonous.
Hazaribagh: Protecting crops from pests for good yields in farming is one of the biggest challenges for farmers. Many types of pests cause damage at different stages of the crop, affecting production. To protect against pests, farmers often spray chemical pesticides. Although this controls pests for some time, in the long run it has many side effects. Excessive use of pesticides on one hand affects the quality of the crop and on the other hand the crop also becomes poisonous. Which later causes harm to health.
Progressive farmers of Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand have now started adopting modern and environment friendly technologies to deal with this problem. Rajendra Tudu, a farmer of Churchu block of the district, says that the arrival of pests in crops is a normal process, but their number increases rapidly during the rainy and winter seasons. At such times, farmers are forced to repeatedly spray pesticides, due to which the cost of farming also increases.
Rajendra Tudu further said that chemical pesticides are not an alternative to any permanent solution. Due to this, farmers have to spend again and again on medicines. Besides, it also has a negative impact on the health of the crop. To solve this problem, he has started using solar light traps in his fields. It is proving to be a safe and effective method of pest control.
According to Rajendra Tudu, most of the insects are more active at night. The solar light trap has been designed keeping this feature in mind. This device provides light at night by being powered by solar energy. Insects get attracted towards blue and yellow light and come near it. A tray filled with water is placed just below the light, if it falls, the insects die. No chemical medicine is used in this process, due to which the crop remains completely safe.
Rajendra Tudu further said that two solar light traps are sufficient for one acre of field. The price of solar light trap in the market starts from around one thousand rupees, which increases according to its capacity and effect. The solar light trap installed in his farm is worth about three thousand rupees. It is a one-time investment, which can be used for many years with light maintenance.
