The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
SWITZERLAND-BASED global agro-chemicals and seed producer, Syngenta Agro Ag is working on introducing a fall armyworm controlling seed treatment technology in a bid to curb the devastative effects of the invasive pest on maize crop yields, an official said.
Syngenta Agro Ag marketing support manager for Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Angola, Mr Tawanda Nixon Mangisi said the company was in the process of registering the fall armyworm controlling seed treatment technology with the country’s requisite authorities.
“With the current climatic and new invasive pest problems facing the world, we are currently in the registration phase of ground-breaking fall armyworm controlling seed treatment technology. This will ensure that farmers across Zimbabwe access maize seed already treated for fall armyworm as the first line of defence up to four weeks. This will be the first ‘protection in the bag’ technology of its kind ensuring food security through mitigating against this new and invasive pest,” he said.
The country has over the last few years been battling to find the appropriate pesticide to eradicate the fall armyworm since its massive outbreak, which threatened to hamper the country’s 2016/17 summer season maize crop yield.
In 2017 the Plant Protection Research Institute identified and recommended 10 pesticides for use in the eradication of the pest.
Though there has not been a major outbreak of fall armyworm, there has been an infestation of the pest in various parts of the country.
Syngenta Agro Ag has also introduced a new climate smart hybrid maize seed, the SY5944, which is a short season hybrid with medium season hybrid yield potential and disease tolerance.
“It is (SY5944) a double winner in that it carries Syngenta’s excellent drought tolerance genetics coupled with quick maturity and a high yield potential of up to 12 metric tonnes per hectare, far much higher than any other short season hybrid. SY5944 is an ideal hybrid for both small-scale dryland farmers and large-scale commercial farmers who run a wheat after maize enterprise. This hybrid can be grown early under irrigation and will give a competitively high yield and still dry down early enough to allow for wheat to be planted in time,” said Mr Mangisi.
The company also has an application (app) backed by digital satellite imaging and mathematical algorithms with years of backed up data across thousands of farming hectares across the world including Zimbabwe.
