Plant diseases: Workshop stresses promotion of scientific techniques

FAISALABAD:

There is a dire need to promote scientific techniques to control plant diseases, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), Faisalabad, Director General Dr Noorul Islam said on Saturday. He was addressing a workshop on the subject.

He said viral diseases spread from nematodes significantly decreased the production of vegetables.

The scientists should evolve new techniques in addition to educating the farming community to control nematodes so that the country could become self-reliant in food.

Punjab Agriculture Research Board Project Director Dr Nazeer Javed said a project had been launched in collaboration with the AARI and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) to eliminate nematodes.

He said the project would help introduce new scientific techniques to develop resistance in crops against the diseases.

He said that injudicious spray of insecticides on plants was dangerous to human health.

He said this project would help evolve techniques to control some of the plant diseases without resorting to spray. AARI Plant Pathology Research Institute Director Altaf Husain also addressed the workshop.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2012.