NEW:  Zimbabwe culls 120 000 quelea birds to protect winter wheat

Theseus ShambareCLOSE to 120 000 quelea birds have been culled in both Manicaland and Masvingo provinces, as the Government steps up efforts to protect the country’s winter wheat against the migratory pests.Of these, 74 900 were eliminated in Chikombedzi and Mapari, while 44 000 were destroyed at Birchenough Bridge.The operations form part of a nationwide surveillance and rapid-response programme designed to protect crops at their most vulnerable growth stages.In an interview, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Professor Obert Jiri said the operations remained “equal to the task at hand”.He also credited private sector involvement for bolstering national pest control efforts.“We are using every tool at our disposal, from drones and aircraft to on-the-ground teams, to ensure our wheat crop is protected,” Prof Jiri said.“The private sector’s role in financing and operational support is critical as we work to achieve national food security targets.”He warned that the gains of planting a much larger hectarage could be severely undermined if migratory pests such as quelea birds were not contained in time.“One uncontrolled roost can devastate hundreds of hectares,” he said.“Our surveillance, rapid-response teams and technology partners are ensuring that doesn’t happen.”The small but destructive quelea bird is capable of eating up to 10 grammes of grain per bird each day.In flocks that can number more than a million, this translates to 10 tonnes of grain consumed daily.Experts warn that a single large roost can strip a hectare of wheat in just a few hours, wiping out more than four tonnes of grain.This is enough to feed a family of six for an entire year.The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has deployed an integrated arsenal of control measures, ranging from traditional netting to advanced technologies such as the newly acquired nine Agras T40 drones, aircraft spraying and targeted chemical applications.Surveillance teams, supported by ward-level monitoring centres, are tracking roosting sites across all major wheat-growing areas.According to the latest Agricultural Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) report, Zimbabwe’s winter wheat crop covers 120 096 hectares, with growth spread across several stages.About 30 640 hectares (25 percent) are at stem elongation, 44 190 hectares (37 percent) are at the booting stage, while 26 423 hectares (22 percent) have reached heading.A further 16 813 hectares (14 percent) are at anthesis, and the remaining 2 030 hectares (2 percent) are in the grain-filling stage.At this stage, agronomists are focused on strengthening tillers, thickening stems and maintaining high nutrient availability to maximise grain formation.ARDAS acting chief director Mr Leonard Munamati urged farmers to adopt strict agronomic discipline during this critical growth window.“Irrigate early in the morning to minimise evaporation losses, scout fields weekly for pests and rust diseases and apply herbicides where necessary,” he said.“Small management lapses now can have a huge impact on yields later.”Share on FacebookPost on XFollow usSave

Originally published on Zimbabwe Herald

Source: Zimbabwe Herald