Chinese agri scientists offer help to curb pest attack on cotton crop

MULTAN: The Chinese agricultural scientists have offered the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture experts to work together to curb the attack of whitefly and cotton leaf curl virus on cotton crop.

The Chinese agriculture scientists’ delegation comprising Gaudong Plant Protection Research Institute and Academy of Sciences scientist Dr He Zifu, Dr Lyu Lihau, Dr Tang Yafei, Dr Chen Ting and Dr Ql Goujium visited the MNSUA and attended an international workshop organised on whitefly and virus spread. Talking to the MNUSA experts, the visitors shared the Chinese preventive strategy and research against whitefly and CLCV and said that Pakistan could safely preventrom most critical pest destroying cotton crop at massive scale. The Chinese scientists talked on different kinds of whitefly and mode of prevention in different ways. The Chinese scientists said that they were ready to conduct a joint research against whitefly and virus spread with Pakistan agriculture scientists particularly with the MNSUA scientists. They offered sharing their experiences with them. The Chinese scientists underlined the need to assess whitefly power and resistance before its prevention. The situation needs in depth investigation and research with the Pakistani agriculture scientists, they added. MNSUA Dean Prof Dr Shafqat Saeed said that whitefly was destroying cotton fields at massive scale resulting low yield. He said that scientists could develop scientific methodology to prevent from whitefly and virus. Dr Saeed Shafqat and Dr Hassan Riaz also presented presentation on whitefly and virus destructions in Pakistan. The National Institute of Bio-Technology and Genetic Engineering Director Dr Shahid Mansoor discussed modern and conventional preventive measures against whitefly and virus. The Chinese delegation also visited laboratories of the MNSUA.