The Path of success became visible for the Holy Cross Agriculture Science center, Hazaribagh to eradicate the harmful Carrot grass alias Parthenium, an unwanted plant and a poisonous weed with the help of an insect — a Mexican beetle.
Carrot grass which came in India with wheat during the famous famine of 60’s and the green revolution afterwards, captured a large region of the country. It is also a poisonous weed for cattle which increases respiratory and skin diseases in humans can be seen everywhere in our locality and efforts to eradicate it were going in vain since a very long time.
The Holy Cross Agriculture Science Center, Hazaribagh, and CRPF Hazaribagh Batallion, were continuously trying to make Hazaribagh free from Parthenium. The Weed Control Research Institute, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, advised both organisations to use Mexican Beetle to eradicate carrot grass which has been proved as the best biological control weapon against this unwanted plant. They supplied some Mexican Beetles to the local organisations and gave the knowledge of its captive breeding.
In Hazaribagh, Parthenium has captured the premises of Vinoba Bhave University, playgrounds, school and college premises, local lake area and almost all the vacant spaces. Every year after rainy season its area was increasing but this year the symptoms are looking opposite.
Under the leadership of Commandant Munna Kumar Singh and scientists of Holy Cross Agriculture Research Center, cops and students are spreading Mexican beetles on parthenium and within a week the plant starts dying because the insect starts eating its leaves. Since the breeding season of this insect is on so both organizations are also engaged in increasing the number of these insects which will be used after this rainy season when its breeding season will end. For captive breeding of Mexican beetles there is a very simple method. Just take a branch of plant on which this beetle is sitting and put it in a closed but airy pot, soon it will breed and hundreds of beetle will be in the pot.
Prof. NK Rana, Dept. of Botany of Vinoba Bhave University, who had tried to eradicate this unwanted plant during his tenure as NSS Coordinator of the university says that till date only plant Cassia tora popularly known as Chakod was known as the biological control weapon against parthenium but since it is also not so beneficiary plant so people never took it seriously.
Prof. Rana said that parthenium is not only harmful for human and cattle but it also destroys the vegetation of the area and decreases the fertility of the soil.
Till date we are using the old method of rooting out the plant and burning it after drying. Some chemicals are also available in market which kills it but it is costly so its area was increasing day by day but now with the use of Mexican beetle it can be hoped that soon this unwanted plant will be a matter of past.