FAISALABAD-Experts at University of Agriculture Faisalabad have called for stepped up efforts to promote biological control of weeds, pests and plant diseases in order to develop the agricultural sector and address the health issues. In this regard, a state-of-the-art Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)’s Biological Control Centre will be established at UAF to enhance joint efforts for the noble cause.
CABI Deputy Director Abdul Rehman along with international weed biocontrol specialist from CABI Switzerland Dr Philip Weyl, CABI Subject Specialist Kazam Ali called on UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan. They also held meetings with Chairman Department of Entomology Dr Jalal Arif, Director Institute of Agriculture Extension Dr Babar Shahbaz, Director External Linkages Dr Muhammad Saqib, and Associate Prof Dr Ijaz Ashraf. Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that excessive usage of chemicals on crops was creating health and environmental hazards. He said that the biological control was the need ofthe hour. He said parthenium was a highly destructive weed, crossing continents and, the weed is spreading rapidly in both rural and urban landscapes in the country.
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Abdul Rehman said that for the establishment of the Biological Center at UAF, a memorandum of understanding will be inked soon. He gave an invitation to Dr Jalal Arif to nominate entomologists to participate in an international rearing workshop. He said that CABI initiated a biological control programme in Pakistan in 2017. For this purpose, CABI’s established a new quarantine laboratory at its Rawalpindi centre in Pakistan to enhance its capabilities to manage parthenium weed. He said that the University was a home to world renowned agricultural scientists and joint work with UAF will bring tangible results. He said that they had completed the initial work of biological agent for parthenium and now the testing in the fields would be carried out. He said that the Department of Entomology was on the front in plant production not at the national level but also at the international level.
Chairman Entomology UAF Prof Dr Jalal Arif coined the idea of establishing CABI Biological Centre at the Department of Entomology for strengthening collaborative efforts. He said that the University, which is the oldest and largest agricultural institution, is taking all possible measures to address the problems of the agricultural sector. He said that the University had emerged among the top 100 universities of the globe. He was of the view that the dream of food security cannot be ensured without putting agriculture on the modern lines.
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Dr Babar Shahbaz called for innovative approaches to address the issue of the agricultural sector. He said that adoption of latest scientific trends were a prerequisite to cope with agricultural challenges at national level. He said that the university was taking all possible measures to confront the agricultural challenges. He said that they had mapped out a plan to reach out to farming community across the country regarding biological control of parthenium in order to get rid of this hazardous weed. Dr. Ijaz Ashraf from UAF said that parthenium, a toxic weed, is hazardous for human lives as it causes allergy, asthma and other diseases. Parthenium is highly invasive due to its prolific seed production, flower production within four weeks of germination, tolerance to varying climatic conditions, and the production of allele chemicals that affect the growth of nearby plants. He said that the plant gives 10,000 seeds that resulted in its massive outbreak.