What is the impact of overseas locust plagues? Will it invade our country? ——The leader of the China Locust Disaster Prevention and Control Working Group responded to the hot issue of locust control
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 17th, Question: What is the impact of overseas locust disaster? Will it invade our country? ——The leader of the China Locust Disaster Prevention and Control Working Group responded to the hot issue of locust control
Xinhua News Agency reporter Yu Wenjing
Since this year, desert locusts have rarely occurred in East Africa and Southwest Asia, posing a serious threat to food and agricultural production. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China sent a locust disaster prevention and control working group to Pakistan in late February. The first batch of locust disaster prevention and control supplies to Pakistan has arrived on March 9. How is the local locust situation? Will Desert Locust Invade Our Country? How does China and Pakistan cooperate in prevention and treatment? On the 17th, the reporter interviewed Wang Fengle, the leader of the China Locust Disaster Prevention and Control Working Group and the chief expert of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center.
Grasshopper threatens crops in Pakistan
How is the recent locust disaster in Pakistan?
Wang Fengle introduced that, overall, the situation of the locust plague in Pakistan is severe. At present, most locusts have entered the mating and spawning period. Although the harm to the current crop is not great, the next generation of hatchery poses a great threat to the autumn (rainy season) crop. According to the Ministry of Food Security and Research of Pakistan, the locust plague has continued since March 2019, and 38% of the 30 million hectares of land suitable for locust breeding have been invaded, and the occurrence range, number of locusts, and degree of harm are all historically rare.
Among them, Baluchistan was attacked by locust swarms of 2.2 million hectares. The Chinese team found a large area of adult locusts migrating and laying eggs in Darbanding, covering a vast desert and hills covering dozens of square kilometers. Will be the breeding ground for the next generation of locust outbreaks.
In Punjab province, the working group found a large range of social locusts in wheat and chickpea growing areas in Zagoda and Jiang counties, with 150 to 200 per square meter, and more than 70% of them had mate to lay eggs. Rows of locust eggs were exposed on the desert surface due to rainfall. The rainy season is coming, which is conducive to the survival and hatching of locust eggs.
Wang Fengle said that in view of the large number of eggs that have been laid by locusts in Pakistan and encountering suitable weather, hatching will form a new round of harm. In addition, invasions by locusts from India and Iran, if not controlled, will pose a huge threat to autumn crops.
Quickly establish a working mechanism for joint locust control
In the next step, how will China and Pakistan cooperate to control locust plagues?
Wang Fengle said that according to the field investigation and the actual situation of the Pakistani side, combined with the experience of China ’s national defense locust, the working group put forward the general idea of “accurate monitoring, district management, effective prevention and control, and technological support.” Emergency prevention and control of spraying chemical pesticides with high-efficiency spraying equipment, and long-term consideration of coordinated application of ecological control, biological control, chemical control and other measures to promote sustainable management of locust disasters.
He introduced that the working group focused on promoting highly effective spraying equipment such as "cannons" and plant protection drones and emergency prevention and control drugs. In view of the suitability of biological pesticides for application in high-temperature and arid desert areas, it is recommended to conduct a small-scale test demonstration first. It is suggested that Pakistan pay attention to the development of locust control in Iran, India and other countries, and monitor and extinguish invasive locusts in a timely manner. In particular, it is recommended to strengthen investigation and monitoring, and adopt centralized prevention and control measures for chemical pesticides during the locust pupa period.
On March 9th, China ’s first batch of locust aid supplies to Pakistan arrived in Pakistan, including 50 tons of malathion pesticides and 14 traction high-efficiency sprayers. According to the agreed assistance plan, the Chinese side will also ship to Pakistan in two batches. Locust assistance aid, containing 250 tons of malathion pesticides and 36 traction high-efficiency sprayers.
Wang Fengle said that the working group proposed to step up the establishment of a China-Pakistan joint locust control working mechanism, include the Sino-Pakistani joint locust control working mechanism, and carry out policy dialogues, technical exchanges and personnel training on sustainable locust control. It is suggested to investigate the occurrence area, biological characteristics, migration and spread of desert locusts in Pakistan, establish a China-Pakistan joint pest control laboratory and a locust disaster sustainable management cooperation project.
Prevent invasion and spread of desert locusts
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the General Administration of Customs, and the National Forestry and Grass Bureau jointly formulated and issued the "Desert Locust and Domestic Locust Monitoring and Control Plan", which requires all places to strictly prevent the invasion of desert locusts and continue to do a good job of domestic locust control. Will the locust plague invade our country?
Experts of the working group believe that the probability of migration of desert locusts into neighboring countries is very low, mainly due to three reasons:
——From the perspective of living habits, the survival and reproduction of desert locusts must rely on tropical and subtropical deserts. There are no tropical and subtropical deserts in the same latitudes in southwestern China. Although Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia have vast deserts, temperature and rainfall cannot meet their breeding conditions.
——From the record of hazards in China, in 1956, Cai Banghua, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recorded in the thesis that there was a desert locust in Gongshan, the lower reaches of the Nu River in Yunnan, but there was no record of the hazard; One diaspora female Desert Locust adult. In the following 40 years, Chinese experts continued to investigate, there is no record of Desert Locust migration or harm in China.
——From the migration path, if the desert locust migrates into China, the western route is from India and Pakistan into southern Tibet, blocked by the Kunlun and Himalaya mountains, the temperature is very low, and the desert locust is difficult to fly over and survive; the eastern passage is India and Bangladesh have entered southern Yunnan from Myanmar, but it is difficult to pass through the rain forest. The climate of Myanmar is not suitable for it to occur. The ecological environment and climatic conditions of southern Yunnan are not suitable for its survival. Even if a strong monsoon or the like leads to a small amount of desert locusts entering our country, it is difficult to establish effective populations, and our monitoring and control capabilities can be controlled.
Wang Fengle said that China adheres to the awareness of risks, formulated prevention and control plans, strengthened border monitoring in Yunnan, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Once an invasion of desert locusts occurs overseas, it will immediately organize prevention and control to strictly prevent proliferation and further spread in the country.