SE Asia's first plant disease clinic opens at BAU
FE Report | Saturday, 21 June 2008
Farmers in Bangladesh who are battling outbreaks of leaf blight and insect pests are now getting expert help from Southeast Asia's first plant disease clinic, co-founded by Robert Wick of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, according to a Newswise report.
The clinic is housed at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Mymensingh, under the direction of its co-founder M Bahadur Meah.
"Several farmers attended the opening ceremony, including one who had travelled over 20 kilometres by bus and rickshaw to find out what was stunting the growth of his bitter gourd vines," said Wick, a professor of plant pathology who secured funding for the clinic from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. "Clearly, they were desperate for ways to increase their crop yields."
According to Wick, Bangladesh claimed to be self-sufficient in 2005. But unexpected losses due to pests and weather have kept farmers from producing enough food to satisfy demand. Rice has been especially hard-hit, forcing the government to import this staple crop, which is eaten daily by most Bangladeshis. Lines of women and children waiting to purchase rice at a reduced cost have become a familiar picture in many cities.
A significant part of the problem is that an estimated 20 per cent of the crops grown in Bangladesh are lost to insect pests and diseases before they reach the table. Increasing the amount of land used for agriculture will not solve the problem. "Most of the arable land is already under crop production, and in some cases, a single plot of land produces up to three crops each year," said Wick. "Increases in food production will come from using high-yield cultivars and the management of pests and weeds."
Through the clinic, farmers and extension agents finally have a way to positively identify hundreds of plant diseases caused by microorganisms, instead of relying on visual inspections, which are often inaccurate. Farmers will be able to bring plant samples to the clinic, and the staff will use culturing techniques and microscopes to identify which fungus, bacteria or virus is causing the problem. The clinic will also identify insect pests, and provide information on nutrient deficiencies and their causes.
After receiving a diagnosis, farmers will be advised on the best management practices for controlling their particular problem, which will protect their health and the health of the environment by reducing pesticide use.
"Right now, farmers in Bangladesh believe that a prescription for pesticides will solve their crop problems, but this won't help if the damage stems from bacteria or a plant virus," said Wick. "At the clinic, they will be told how to manage crops in an environmentally friendly way, using cultural methods like weeding, rotating crops and trapping pests."
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the average pesticide application rate in Bangladesh is currently 1.36 kilograms per hectare, which is equivalent to roughly 2.5 acres. This exceeds the recommended environmentally safe rate of 0.98 kilograms per hectare. Most of the pesticides are being used on rice crops, a situation that has led to water quality problems and the death of fish. Clinic staff will also educate farmers on the safe use of pesticides.
Although recently opened, the centre has ambitious agenda. In addition to helping farmers increase their crop yields and financial security, the centre will educate extension specialists and students by offering workshops. Wick taught diagnostic plant pathology in Bangladesh as a Fulbright Scholar in 2006.
The clinic can also provide a quality control centre for certifying that plants for export are free of pathogens, identify important or emerging problems that require investigation, and develop a historic record of the occurrence of plant diseases.
Eventually, the team hopes to establish clinics in each of the six districts of Bangladesh, similar to the plant disease clinics found at land grant universities in each state in the US.
The clinic is housed at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Mymensingh, under the direction of its co-founder M Bahadur Meah.
"Several farmers attended the opening ceremony, including one who had travelled over 20 kilometres by bus and rickshaw to find out what was stunting the growth of his bitter gourd vines," said Wick, a professor of plant pathology who secured funding for the clinic from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. "Clearly, they were desperate for ways to increase their crop yields."
According to Wick, Bangladesh claimed to be self-sufficient in 2005. But unexpected losses due to pests and weather have kept farmers from producing enough food to satisfy demand. Rice has been especially hard-hit, forcing the government to import this staple crop, which is eaten daily by most Bangladeshis. Lines of women and children waiting to purchase rice at a reduced cost have become a familiar picture in many cities.
A significant part of the problem is that an estimated 20 per cent of the crops grown in Bangladesh are lost to insect pests and diseases before they reach the table. Increasing the amount of land used for agriculture will not solve the problem. "Most of the arable land is already under crop production, and in some cases, a single plot of land produces up to three crops each year," said Wick. "Increases in food production will come from using high-yield cultivars and the management of pests and weeds."
Through the clinic, farmers and extension agents finally have a way to positively identify hundreds of plant diseases caused by microorganisms, instead of relying on visual inspections, which are often inaccurate. Farmers will be able to bring plant samples to the clinic, and the staff will use culturing techniques and microscopes to identify which fungus, bacteria or virus is causing the problem. The clinic will also identify insect pests, and provide information on nutrient deficiencies and their causes.
After receiving a diagnosis, farmers will be advised on the best management practices for controlling their particular problem, which will protect their health and the health of the environment by reducing pesticide use.
"Right now, farmers in Bangladesh believe that a prescription for pesticides will solve their crop problems, but this won't help if the damage stems from bacteria or a plant virus," said Wick. "At the clinic, they will be told how to manage crops in an environmentally friendly way, using cultural methods like weeding, rotating crops and trapping pests."
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the average pesticide application rate in Bangladesh is currently 1.36 kilograms per hectare, which is equivalent to roughly 2.5 acres. This exceeds the recommended environmentally safe rate of 0.98 kilograms per hectare. Most of the pesticides are being used on rice crops, a situation that has led to water quality problems and the death of fish. Clinic staff will also educate farmers on the safe use of pesticides.
Although recently opened, the centre has ambitious agenda. In addition to helping farmers increase their crop yields and financial security, the centre will educate extension specialists and students by offering workshops. Wick taught diagnostic plant pathology in Bangladesh as a Fulbright Scholar in 2006.
The clinic can also provide a quality control centre for certifying that plants for export are free of pathogens, identify important or emerging problems that require investigation, and develop a historic record of the occurrence of plant diseases.
Eventually, the team hopes to establish clinics in each of the six districts of Bangladesh, similar to the plant disease clinics found at land grant universities in each state in the US.