Pak-China joint lab to be set up for pest management

BEIJING: University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) and Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (IPPCAAS) signed a Letter of Intent in Beijing for establishing the Pakistan-China joint laboratory for crop pest management.

Both sides will kickstart the operation of the joint laboratory and carry out tests, demonstrations and joint research on integrated disease control technologies for crop pests and diseases of common concern, as well as technical personnel training and personnel exchange and training, according to IPPCAAS.

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Pakistan suffers from a host of pest problems. The white fly, for instance, is affecting cotton, citrus, guava, and so on. When fruits and vegetables are exported to Middle Eastern countries, they are sometimes rejected due to the presence of fruit flies and residues of pesticide.

Out of the 1,300 molecules of the pesticides registered in Pakistan, not a single is able to control the white fly, UAF Entomology Department Chairman Muhammad Jalal Arif told China Economic Net.

He said that Pakistan is also facing the issue of economic threshold level and economic injury level.

He said that when pests exceed a certain number, we decide the pesticide application, which we help our different equipment, tools. In the last 75 years, we have an old threshold and injury level, which should be revised in days to come, he said.

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According to UAF Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization Director Muhammad Jafar Jaskani, this collaboration is part of Pakistan’s efforts towards climate-smart agriculture.

“It would be good to secure the food for the future generations. So genetic change, use of biotechnology… these are the tools which can make the food secure in both countries,” he said.