Insecticide developed at University of Karachi effective against locust swarms: report

A plant-based insecticide developed by the Research Institute of Chemistry at the University of Karachi is an effective mode of defense against locust swarms, reported The News. 

Citing the findings of a non-governmental organisation based in Tharparkar, The News claimed that around 600 fruit-trees sprayed with the plant-based insecticide were protected from a recent locust attack.

Swarms of locusts had attacked both urban and rural areas of the country earlier this year. Neither the authorities nor the farmers were prepared to deal with the onslaught. 

The insects destroyed precious crops spread over thousands of acres of land in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. Fayyaz Alam, General Secretary of the Dua Foundation, spoke to The News about the problem. 

“Locusts destroyed crops spread over thousands of acres of land in Sindh, including Tharparkar. However, around 600 fruit trees, which were sprayed with locally-developed insecticide remained protected," he said.

“We used this insecticide half-heartedly but it proved to be an effective tool against locusts,” he added. He requested the relevant authorities to start its production on an industrial scale. 

“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," Bina Siddiqui from KU told the publication.

Originally published in The News