The threat of locusts in Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts of Punjab, adjoining Rajasthan, is not over yet. The locusts may resurface, especially in the summer when there are dust storms and the weather is conducive for these insects, say agriculture experts.
The threat of locusts in Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts of Punjab, adjoining Rajasthan, is not over yet. The locusts may resurface, especially in the summer when there are dust storms and the weather is conducive for these insects, say agriculture experts.
As of now, the locusts have come in small numbers to Punjab, but these have set the alarm bells ringing. They are unable to survive in the cold weather, so it needs to be studied whether their resistance has increased. The governments of India and Pakistan should devise a strategy to deal with the menace. The governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab should take effective steps and try to control it at their level, says Prof SPS Brar, who retired from the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.
Kahan Singh Pannu, Secretary, Agriculture, says, Usually, the insects grow where they cause harm to the crops, but this locust breeds in deserts. It can come anytime again. Our teams are on the alert in Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts. We have made adequate arrangements for insecticides and asked private companies too, but there is no eco-friendly method available to deal with these locusts. The situation seems to have arisen due to rain in Rajasthan last year, which resulted in ample vegetation there.
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