Pheromone trap popular among Rajshahi farmers

RAJSHAHI, Aug 4: The farmers here are getting interested in using environment-friendly 'sex pheromone trap' for killing harmful insects in their croplands under nine upazilas of the district.
This method is gaining popularity among the vegetable farmers in the region including in the vast Barind tract.  Farmers here are using this eco-friendly method which is serving as alternative to toxic pesticides.
The alternative method appears as a blessing against the backdrop of random use of toxic pesticides that threaten the ecological balance and public health, agricultural officials said.
During a recent visit at different villages of Mohanpur, Tanore, Godagari, Durgapur, Puthia and Charghat upazilas, this correspondent found that many farmers have set up the traps at their vegetable fields.
Farmers said, now they are using this eco-friendly method in the cultivation of crops and vegetables in the nine upazilas.
The farmers are using this method in fields of different vegetables like eggplant, tomato, bean, cowpea, pumpkin, paddy, pumpkin, snake gourd, bitter gourd, cucumber, gourd, pointed gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, and ladies finger across the district.
The use of chemical fertilisers and harmful pesticides in vegetable fields is very harmful for human body. For this reason this eco-friendly method is getting popular in the large scale cultivation of different vegetables and crops reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and harmful pesticides, farmers added.
A farmer Babul of Veempara village under Mohanpur upazila said, "I cultivated gourd in one bigha of land applying 25 sex pheromone traps this season. I have to clean the trap box each week. Now I am able to produce vegetables without using pesticide saving extra cost. I am expecting bumper gourd yield this season."
Milon Hossain of Matubarpur village in the upazila said, "I cultivated pointed gourd this season using the sex pheromone trap. At least 20 traps were set up in my land. I am producing chemical-free vegetables without using any pesticide and saving extra cost of cultivation."      
While talking with The Daily Observer, Mohanpur Upazila Agriculture Officer Rahima Khatun said, "In this sex pheromone trap, a capsule containing female sex hormone of insects is hung in a plastic bottle with one inch of soap-water and two holes are created in the middle of the container for entrance of insects. After setting in the cropland with two bamboo sticks, the bottle attracts male insects that drown in the soap water. Thus the spread of pests is checked."
She further said, "Following our agriculture officers' initiative, the farmers to applying this sex pheromone trap in their cultivation. At least 20 farmers cultivated 50 hectares of land applying 750 sex pheromone traps this season. All those instruments have given to the farmers free of cost."   She added, "A trap is needed for every three decimals of vegetable field. Accordingly, 11 traps are enough for a bigha of land to check pest attack. Now a capsule sells for Tk 25 and it remains effective for three months.