‘Insect repellent developed in KU effective against locusts’

The HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, has developed a plant-based insecticide, or phyto-pesticide, which is an effective mode of defence

against locust swarms, according to an NGO which runs its operations in Tharparkar.

“Locust swarms have destroyed crops spread over thousands of acres of land in Sindh, including Tharparkar. However, around 600 fruit trees, which were sprayed with this locally-developed, environment-friendly insecticide remained protected from the locust attack,” said Dr Fayyaz Alam, general secretary of the Dua Foundation, while talking to The News.

“We used this insecticide half-heartedly but it proved to be an effective tool against locusts,” he added.

Swarms of locusts entered Pakistan in August this year after 57 years. Neither the authorities nor the farmers were prepared to deal with the onslaught of grasshoppers as

they destroyed precious crops spread over thousands of acres of land in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab before any effective measures could have been adopted to prevent plants and crops from them.

“I contacted Dr Bina Siddiqui at the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry and requested her to provide us their plant-based insecticide for wheat crop and fruit trees,” he said. However, he added, they were told that it was not being manufactured on industrial scale.

“Dr Bina gave us a few bottles of Biosal and advised us to use it only on precious fruit plants,” Dr Alam said. “Locusts remained away from the fruit trees which we sprayed with Biosal. However, around 10 percent of their leaves were eaten by Biosal but the entire wheat crop, which was unguarded and not sprayed with any insecticide, was completely destroyed by the locusts,” he said.

He requested the relevant authorities to start its production on industrial scale to prevent crops, vegetables and fruits from insects “We have prepared this plant-based insect and pest repellent from the Nimboli (a fruit of Neem tree) and it was proven very effective against pest in plants and crops as well as domestic insects,” Dr Bina said.

“We are running a pilot project for its production. It was never used against locusts earlier. But we have been informed that our product protected hundreds of fruit trees from locust swarms in Tharparkar which is very heartening and encouraging for us,” she said.