For the first time ever in Kyrgyzstan, demonstration trials are being carried out with biopesticides against locusts. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports.
According to it, Kyrgyzstan is affected mainly by the Italian and Moroccan locusts, which can create severe damage to agriculture if not managed properly.
Locust treatments are so far being conducted with chemicals, which are efficient but affect non-target organisms and can also have negative impact on human health.
«Instead, the biopesticide based on fungus Metarhizium acridum attacks only locusts and grasshoppers, with no negative impact on human health and the environment. It is however relatively slow acting as it can take from 4 to 21 days to achieve the required effects, depending on the developmental stage of locusts. Although it cannot fully replace chemical treatments, especially in case of locust emergency, its use is highly recommended by FAO, especially but not limited to in ecologically sensitive areas,» the statement says.
With a view to promote the use of such biopesticide, a three-day demonstration/trial was organized in Panfilov district of Chui region of Kyrgyzstan. Twenty hectares of fields and pastures infested by young hoppers of Italian Locust (Calliptamus Italicus) were treated.
The results of the treatments with biopesticides were excellent: nearly 100 percent mortality was recorded after 11 days in cages.
«One major benefit of biopesticides is that they are designed to target specific kinds of insects only,» said Cholpon Alibakieva, National Chief Technical Advisor at the FAO Representation in Kyrgyzstan. «That means biopesticides for locust control don’t affect other «good» insects, which can continue going about their business pollinating plants and supporting the local ecosystem.»
«Biological pesticides prove to offer a reliable and less harmful alternative for controlling locusts before they reach crisis levels, in situations when the timing allows for their use,» said Almaz Alakunov, Head of Plant Protection and Control Division of DCPPQ.
Currently, the region treats an average of 3.7 million hectares of land with chemical pesticides each year.
