Sugarcane farmers in western Kenya have been thrown into panic after pests attacked their crop. Yellow Aphid pest causes yellowing of leaves before they dry up.Isaac Koti, from Muting’ong’o in Malava sub-county, said he had lost his entire crop, on four acres, to the pest.Koti said the pest had invaded several farms, not just in Malava, but in other sub-counties as well. He said many farmers uprooted their crop after it was affected. Lack of pesticide to deal with the invaders has complicated matters for farmers. Good harvest“I planted my crop 10 months ago and I was hoping for a good harvest. However, I later realised the crop became stunted. The leaves turned yellow before they dried up,” said Koti.He added: “I am wondering what will happen to me. I could harvest up to 60 tonnes of sugarcane from my farm. However, as things stand now, I will not be able to get even half of that.” Koti said he has been struggling to control the pests without success for months now. The tiny yellow pests can be spotted on leaves. Some of the farmers interviewed said they initially applied fertiliser on their crop when they noticed the yellowing since they thought it was as a result of lack of certain nutrients. However, the problem persisted and they started noticing the pests.Other farmers said they applied a mixture of ash and water on their crop, hoping it would control the pests without success. “The disease is threatening the livelihood of many farmers. However, what is even more worrying is experts are yet to carry out research to establish the origin of the pests and how to fight them,” said Koti.Peter Shiketi from Mugai, said before the disease manifested, he harvested up to 80 tonnes of sugarcane from his farm. However, production has since dropped drastically. “The pest is a major problem to the already ailing sugar industry. Production has gone down. I am contemplating uprooting the cane on my three-acre farm unless agricultural officers find a solution to the pests soon,” Shiketi said.He said he would consider dairy farming if the situation persisted.Shiketi said sugarcane farming was all he does. It takes care of my children’s school fees as well as all the needs of my family, he said.Emily Simon, said her seven-acre cane plantation had been affected.Spreading fast “This is a big loss. We depend on cane farming. Research should be carried out and farmers advised on how to deal with the pests. What is hurting us is we don’t have information yet the disease is spreading fast,” Simon said.Simon Malang’a, also from Muting’ong’o village, said: “We have consulted agricultural officials but they have offered no solution. They told us they are yet to study the disease. They have prescribed a pesticide which is costly and is not even available in local shops.”Jonathan Mutonyi, an agronomist and lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science And Technology and Kibabii University, said the outbreak was in all the sugar belt zones.“The Yellow Aphid affects CO421 variety of sugarcane that is predominantly grown in the area. I am researching on the pest. The pest affects cane between one and five months,” Dr Mutonyi said.He told farmers to use to spray their crops with Dudu thrin. “Take 50ml of Dudu thrin and mix in 20 litres of water, then spray below the leaves. The pest hides and might resurface if you don’t spray well. Source - https://www.standardmedia.co.ke