UAF develops technology to control wheat weeds

FAISALABAD: A cost-effective technology for application of bioherbicide to the crops has been developed under the public-private partnership to control weeds of wheat and increase its production. The initiative was taken by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in collaboration with a private company, which was later approved and undertaken by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) under the Technology Development Fund (TDF), Project Director Prof Zahir Ahmed Zahir told the agency. He said that since wheat was Pakistan’s major crop, it was witnessing 40 per cent decline in its annual production due to the weeds which grew on its own during cultivation process, causing Rs 37.9 billion loss to the country’s economy. Zahir said that he along with his team developed the technology and prepared a bioherbicide containing allelopathic bacteria for bio-control of weeds of wheat. The professor said that they had already identified useful strains of rhizobacteria, a root-colonising bacterium suitable to develop a bioherbicide, which may be applied to wheat crop through the technology and a specified process. The coating of wheat weeds with the bacterium would help suppress the growth of those wild shrubs in crops, he added. At present, he said, various weed control strategies were being employed, including manual weed control, which were proved time consuming and labour intensive. The manual weed control strategy was not only suitable for crops grown in rows but also elevate the cost due to high energy inputs, he said.