A new Pest of Rice in South India

Extract

In July, 1926, a severe outbreak of a Hemipterous pest was reported from the village of Kattuputhur, in the Trichinopoly District, which threatened the total destruction of the standing paddy crop, and the writer was deputed to visit the locality, investigate the pest and advise suitable control measures. The present paper has been prepared with the object of presenting the results of the investigation made and the remedial measures tried.

The village of Kattuputhur is situated about three miles from Kattalai Railway Station and a mile and a half from the Cauvery River. The affected area is roughly about ten miles long with an average breadth of a mile and a half, and includes numerous villages around Kattuputhur. It is adjoined by a canal from the River Cauvery, giving a never-failing and plentiful supply of water, so that the crops of the area are no longer dependent on the monsoon. As the soil is fertile, intensive cultivation is carried on within this tract, paddy being the principal crop.