Dimapur, August 28 (MExN): ATMA Dimapur Niuland Block conducted demonstration on ‘Package of practices of black pepper’ at Hevikhe village on August 25 with Kolom Rabi, ACTO (Plant Breeding), KVK-ICAR, Jharnapani as the resource person. He cited that pepper plant is a perennial woody vine growing up to 4 metres (13 ft) in height on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. Pepper can be grown in soil that is neither too dry nor susceptible to flooding, moist, well-drained and rich in organic matter.
Competing plants should be cleared away, leaving only sufficient trees to provide shade and permit free ventilation, the resource person added. Mikato, ATM, Aghunaqa block spoke on ‘IPM in horticultural crops’ and demonstrated use of yellow sticky fly trap in a vegetable field. Sticky traps, he said, are glue-based traps frequently used in pest control to catch and monitor insects and other pests.
Meanwhile, on August 23, Litchi Farm School was set up at Niuland with Phutoi Jimomi as farm teacher. The farm covers an area of approximately 2.5 Ha and also includes other horticultural plants. He stated that the main problem in his litchi farm is the litchi bug which is controlled manually everyday without the use of insecticides. He uses red ants nest and places them in other citrus fruit trees as an ITK method to control pests.
