Grasshoppers pose constant threat to pastures and variety of crops in both irrigated and rain-fed areas. There are 120 species of grasshoppers in Pakistan. Although, geographical conditions provide ideal breeding ground but the outbreak of this insect pest on large scale has rarely been observed.

However, in 1998 a large scale outbreak of this menace was encountered in rice growing belt of the upper Sindh and the Nasirabad Division of Balochistan. Insurgence was noticed in early September but it assumed serious proportion in November when the early transplanted paddy had attained maturity and harvesting had started.

It inflicted significant damage to the late sown paddy as well as to “dubari crop”, particularly canola and lucern crops raised on the residual soil moisture left after the paddy harvest.

In upper Sindh worst hit areas were Kashmore, Jacobabad, Larkana district and some taluka in Dadu district, as well. In Jafferabad district of the Nasirabad Division, grasshoppers managed to wipe out canola cultivation on an area of over 16,000 acres during the outbreak in 1998.

After eating canola, the grasshoppers shifted to next rabi crops, particularly the wheat crop sown in early November. The intensity of the attack was so severe that to protect the wheat crop from the ravages of grasshoppers, the agriculture department of Balochistan had to seek technical and material help from the Federal Department of Plant Protection which quickly came to the rescue of the growers.

Since accurate data on the extent of damage caused to various crops are not available, the economic importance of different species of grasshoppers is yet in a confused state. Now, after five years the insurgence of this menace has again been observed, though sporadic but widespread, in the Upper Sindh region, particularly in Kachho area.

However, the species of grasshopper is mainly the Chrotogonus trachypterous locally known as Tid. The main victim is the cotton crop, which is in its germination stage. A progressive grower of the Shikarpur district Jamil Ahmad Siddique, who has cultivated cotton crop over 60 acres at his farm in Taluka Garhiyasin for the first time instead of the traditional rice crop, apprised to this scribe that his early May sown cotton crop was invaded by the grasshoppers for which he was not mentally prepared. Grasshoppers managed to inflict significant damage to the young cotton crop still in its two leaves stage. Similarly a prominent landlord of Kachho area of district Khairpur Lair, Saleem Kharal, reported that out of 50 acres about 7 acres of cotton crop was damaged by grasshoppers to the extent that he had to undertake resowing of cotton in the affected fields.

The damage of cotton crop by the grasshopper was also observed in the Nara canal cotton belt in district Khairpur and Sukkur. Although, a proper survey of the grasshopper-affected cotton crop has not been undertaken by the agriculture department but based on farmers’ complaints, it appears that this year the insurgence of grasshopper is prevalent in the upper Sindh cotton belt particularly in the Kachho area. The survey indicated that the absence of monsoon rain for the last couple of years has turned fields free from any green vegetation which provide food to the grasshopper. The non-availability of food forced grasshoppers to move into the field soon after the emergence of cotton plants.

Control measures: Since grasshoppers are not regular pests, growers are not aware of its control measures. The irony is that the provincial agriculture department is silent as usual leaving the financially constrained growers, whose majority is illiterate particularly in Sindh, on the mercy of the unscrupulous pesticide dealers whose advice is business-oriented.

The apathy of the Sindh agriculture extension department could also be gauged from the fact that this year wheat crop in upper Sindh was ravaged by aphids bringing significant reduction in per acre yield, but the damage went unreported. Severe damage was inflicted but with no advise to growers from the extension department. Pesticide dealers are cheating them by selling spurious pesticide in dust form for grasshoppers control but nobody is there to stop it.

The free-for-all like situation could be gauged from the fact that the pesticide dust for grasshopper control is being sold in the local market in foreign brand milk pack bag under the brand name “PRESIDENTTI KAHVI”, made in Brazil, to be taken after dimei’. What a pity? The price of 0.5kg bag is Rs50 and the recommended dose is one bag per acre. How much is it effective is yet not known.

Suggestions: Since the young nymphs of grasshoppers remain confined to bunds for about a fortnight it is of vital importance that the control measure is started in early stage before insects enter the fields because once they have entered, they not only damage the crop but control measures too, become difficult.

*Since young nymphs of grasshoppers can be trapped easily in thousands during a course of a few hours by net sweeping on bands, growers may be advised first to adopt this non-chemical method of control. *Since baits have been found effective in killing grasshoppers in fallow baran land it may be preferred over pesticides. The spraying of highly toxic pesticides on cotton crop in early stages of growth may render the cotton field a biological desert enhancing the number of total sprays during the cotton season thus putting an additional burden on the economy of poor growers.

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