The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has stepped in to help farmers in Punjab seeking government assistance to prevent devastation of cotton crops due to infestation of pink bollworm pest for the fourth consecutive year.
For the past three consecutive years, cotton farmers in Punjab farmers have been facingcrop damage due to the infestation of the pink bollworm (PBW) pest. To tackle this problem, ICAR plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect the pest early.
Due to PBW infestations and lower crop yields last year, the cotton area in Punjab may decrease this year. In 2023, the area under cotton cultivation in Punjab declined to 2.14 lakh hectare from 2.49 lakh hectare in 2022. Conversely, in Rajasthan, cotton planting increased to 10.04 lakh hectare last year from 8.15 lakh hectare in 2022.
To combat PBW, YG Prasad, Director, Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) under ICAR, announced the implementation of AI-based pheromone traps. Powered by AI, these traps will detect and capture emerging insects and moths from crop residues, says Prasad. The CICR has installed these smart traps in 18 locations, including Mansa, Muktsar, and Bathinda, providing farmers with real-time information via mobile alerts.
As per the Agriculture Ministry, these AI-based pheromone traps in major cotton-growing districts will enable real-time monitoring of PBW, offering timely pest alerts and management advice to farmers.
