KARACHI: Protection to crops against diseases stressed
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 17: Speakers at a symposium stressed the need for developing a strategy, on priority basis, to effectively address the plant disease and pest management issues in the country.
They were of the view that a considerable volume of crops in the country was affected due to diseases, which was a threat country's progress, as its economic stability was linked with the growth of agriculture sector.
The three-day international symposium on "Biodiversity of Nematodes in Pakistan" commenced on Monday, under the aegis of the National Nematological Research Centre, University of Karachi, wherein local and international scientists are participating.
In his address as chief guest, the chairman, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Badaruddin Soomro, highlighted the role of agriculture in the progress of a country, particularly that of Pakistan with its increasing population, and mentioned that it was necessary that the agriculture sector performed its role in sustenance of national economy.
He said that improvement in agricultural productivity depended upon appropriate protection of crops from pests and diseases. He said that the council attached great importance to nematodes diseases and their studies and had supported a number of research projects in this regard.
He informed the audience that the government had approved a five-year research project at a cost of Rs197 millions for pest-management. The research results were taken to the farmers, who were the main actors in crop quality control process, he added.
He maintained that the area under cultivation in the country was limited, while salinity and waterlogging, besides improper and indiscriminate use of pesticides were among other major factors affecting the agricultural productivity.
He said that the PARC believed in pooling of technology, ideas and information, besides helping proper control of pest and nematodes diseases. The vice-chancellor, University of Karachi, Dr Pirzada Qasim, that Pakistani scientist should pay special attention to the diseases of crops, as five per cent of the total crop yield was reduced due to nematodes and other plant diseases.
A UK-based nematologist, Mohammad Rafiq Siddiqi, presented his keynote address on "Biodiversity and systematics of Plant-parasitic nematodes." He said that biodiversity was under threat and was being constantly depleted, largely due to human activities.
He stressed the need for applying control and management practices for sustainable agricultural development. While calling for evaluation, conservation and utilization of nematodes, he appreciated the work being done at NNRC in regard to evaluation and recording biodiversity of plants, soil, fresh water and marine nematodes in the country.
The former president of the Pakistan Society of Nematologists, Dr Abdul Ghaffar, said that like all living organisms, the plants also suffer from diseases produced due to a variety of pests and organisms.
Of the pests, nematodes or round worms, adversely affected the crop productivity, and the first parasitic nematode ever observed was wheat gall nematode, Anguine tritici, which produced gall-like growth in place of normal wheat grains, he added. Among others, Dr Manzoor Hussain Soomro, president of PSN and Dr Shahina Fayyaz, director of NNRC, also spoke on the occasion.
