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Wheat import mixed blessing, hunt on for ‘invasive’ weeds

Joseph John

Posted: Sep 25, 2009 at 0244 hrs IST

Raipur: Agricultural scientists from ten states have embarked on a hunt to trace and isolate five harmful “invasive weeds” which made their way into the country through wheat imports. The Centre had imported a huge quantity of wheat for supply through the Public Distribution System to tide over a scarcity two years ago.

Surveillance officers are moving from village to village scanning backyards, compost pits and other places around godowns and fair price shops to locate the alien weeds Ambrosia Trifida, Viola Arvensis, Cenchrus Tribuloids, Cynoglosum Officinale and Carolinense. Plants of these foreign weeds have already been traced to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Orissa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka, said Dr Jay G Varshney, Director of National Research Centre for Weed science. He told The Indian Express that the Centre had imported nearly 63 lakh metric tonnes of wheat in 2006-07 from Russia, Australia, Canada, Hungary, Europe, France, Argentina, Romania, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, and Bulgaria in which nearly 25 types of weed seeds were found.

“Initially, seeds of the relatively-unknown five invasive weeds were traced while we later intercepted nearly a dozen other species which came to India through this wheat import. We are not aware how these weeds could develop in our climatic conditions and how fast they could spread in our ecosystem. Besides, we have to study the possible effects on human and animal health”, he said adding that the Jabalpur-based Directorate of Weed Science Research has taken up a Rs 6.66 crore project for surveillance of these invasive weeds.

Varshney said once any of these alien species were detected, these plants would be grown under controlled conditions to study all their characteristics before taking up the project for their eradication. Such aggressive surveillance has become necessary as the fields in the country are already highly infested with weeds earlier introduced, namely Parthenium hysterophorus, which spreads epidemically in all seasons, he added.

According to Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (IGAU), Raipur, Director (Research services) Dr S S Shaw and Principal Scientist A P Singh, the spread of alien weed Ambrosia Trifida could affect human health as it was suspected to contain allergic pollens.

After identification, he said, the weed plant would be sent to the Botanical Survey of India for approval before taking up studies on issues such as their suppression rate and control measures. Agriculture experts say that it was essential to control and check spread of such invasive weeds as they push native species to the verge of extinction and drastically reduce the yield of economic species and agriculture crops.

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Comments

Wheat import mixed blessing, hunt on for ‘invasive’ weeds
by Laxminarayana Paladi on 2009-10-06 05:47:39.013779+05:30
Only under unavoidable circumstance, wheat is being imported. There is every possibility of weed seed contamination. Hitherto with wheat imports of few decades back, a weed seed "Parthenium histerophorus" has come. It spread highly fast and it's growth too is fast. Before it's flowering it can be converted into a quality compost or it can be puddled in wetland rice fields. In Medak district of Andhrapradesh a farmer is using the Parthenium either for making compost or putting it in paddy puddle.In the Hussainsagar of Hyderabad there was thosands of tonnes of Waterhyasinth. It was removed by the municipality by spending millions of rupees. But Waterhyasynth is best for making highest quality compost. But no agricultural scientist was dare enough to suggest that.Now if new weeds come through imported wheat, after their identification can be better used for such purposes. Instead of finding problems in simple things, we can search for solutions. Our scientists need to cultivate this.
Reply | Forword

Pawar Grass
by J. George on 2009-09-28 17:32:15.714227+05:30
This set of five invasive species weeds must be called "Pawar Grass or Weed" as he is the person responsible for such wholesale import of wheat when on economic considerations no imports were warranted. By importing wheat neither did we safeguard consumer's interests, nor hapless smallholder farmer. The production landscape is now paying the price.
Reply | Forword

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Wheat import mixed blessing, hunt on for ‘invasive’ weeds

Joseph John

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