Varsity Develops Technology For Bioherbicide Application To Control Wheat Weeds
Muhammad Irfan Published April 23, 2019 | 05:50 PM
A cost-effective technology for application of bioherbicide to the crops has been developed under public-private partnership to control weeds of wheat and increase its production
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Apr, 2019 ) :A cost-effective technology for application of bioherbicide to the crops has been developed under 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 Jaffer Agro Services which was later approved and undertaken by the Higher education Commission (HEC) under Technology Development Fund (TDF), the officials sources in HEC told APP.
Sources said the project entitled "Development of Bioherbicide Containing Allelopathic Bacteria for Bio-control of Weeds of Wheat" was recently awarded to Dr. Zahir Ahmed Zahir and his team at the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) along with Jaffer Agro Services.
They said the team had already identified useful strains of rhizobacteria, a root-colonizing bacterium suitable to develop a bioherbicide, which may be applied to wheat crop through the technology and a specified process.
The team was also planning to offer it to farmer community in a user-friendly form, they added.
They said wheat was Pakistan's major crop, but it was witnessing a decline of 24 per cent in its annual production due to the weeds, causing Rs.37.9 billion loss to the country's economy.
The sources 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, they added.
They said chemical control was time-saving and cost-effective, but it caused harmful environmental impacts, destroying beneficial organisms, pollinators, terrestrial and aquatic life in different ways.
The sources said field trials of the technology conducted in collaboration with the industrial partner had already proven its ability to suppress weed growth and increased wheat growth by more than 15 per cent.
They believed that over 567 tons of wheat crop yields worth Rs.18.44 million annually may went up by applying bioherbicide to only 15 per cent of total area under wheat cultivation.
The sources said three million rupees could also be saved from import of harmful insecticides and pesticides in addition to other multiple benefits to biodiversity, ecosystem and economy of the country,The project after successful completion may not only save import costs but also establish ways to fulfill the objectives of multilateral environmental United Nation agreements to which Pakistan was signatory.
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