Home>News Center>China
       
 

Locust plague devastates crops
By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-24 00:01

An upsurge of oriental migratory locusts in North China and the Yangtze River areas has spiraled into a plague that is devastating crops.


An epidemic-prevention staff member from the grasslands center in Sonid Youqi of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region shows some locusts killed by pesticides. [newsphoto]
The infestation affected 970,000 hectare of farmland in ten provinces and municipalities, said the Ministry of Agriculture.

Grasshoppers have attacked more than 13.3 million hectares of grassland. Half of that is in Inner Mongolia.

Grasshoppers do not migrate and are less harmful than locusts.

Plant protection departments have brought the infestation under control in 482,000 hectares of farmland, Xinhua reported.

And more resources are on the way, including insecticides, equipment and manpower.

So far, the central government has invested 5 million yuan (US$604,500) and plans to spend 50 million yuan (US$6 million) more.

A plague of locusts is a large, population present in at least two major regions. Locusts are normally lone creatures, but when their numbers boom, they modify their behaviour and group together. Migratory locusts are more harmful than the non-migratory ones.

Hebei Province, one of the spots most seriously hit, is being sprayed with insecticide using planes as well as ground plans to kill the swarms.

To minimize ecological damage, the ministry tried to fight the plague using biological and ecological methods.

From late May, 6.7 million hectares have been set up as sample field in which more environmental-friendly biopesticides have been used.

Other more environmentally sound alternatives, like improvement of the plantation of the plague area and taking the advantage of natural enemies were also used in the country's 8-million-hectare sample areas.

Earlier, a Xinhua report said that China's first airport for locust control started operation on June 17 in East China's Shandong Province.

Located in Kenli County in the rural area of Dongying, the airport has a concrete runway and parking lot totalling about 40,000 square metres. The runway is 670 metres by 34 metres.

China approved the construction of three airports devoted exclusively to locust elimination in 2001, including the one in Shandong.

In another development, State Forestry Bureau said that forest pests are causing great loses to China this year.

Pests have attacked area 8.7 million hectares this year.

Experts estimate economic loses will be 100 billion yuan (US$12 billion) and there is no end in sight.

The pest attack is more serious and diversified in South China than in the northern part. North and Northeast China are relatively better off.

Growing foreign trade has brought with it a growing number of alien invasive species.

A warm and dry climate and the structure of the forest, which features large proportion of baby-trees, also help the pests develop.

An insect pest in South China's Shankou Mangrove Reserve at the end of May destroyed 66.7 hectares of in two weeks, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Mangrove expert Fan Hangqing said the destruction in the city of Fangchenggang along the Sino-Viet Nam border was caused by a kind of caterpillar. He attributed the pest's arrival to constantly expanded offshore aquatic breeding.

Warning that such negative impacts are slow but cumulative, Fan said the pest attack is a sign of a destroyed mangrove ecosystem.



 
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Price hikes not to stop until October

 

   
 

DPRK: Concrete plans can help nuclear talks

 

   
 

Audit: US$170 million misused in budget

 

   
 

China set to clarify bankruptcy protection

 

   
 

43 missing in boat capsizal feared dead

 

   
 

Migrant workers get injury insurance

 

   
  43 missing in boat capsizal feared dead
   
  Audit: US$170 million misused in budget
   
  China aims at regional maritime law centre
   
  Migrant workers get injury insurance
   
  Shanghai to deal with shortage of places to go
   
  Development fund to aid small, medium firms
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  When will china have direct elections?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 91普通话国产对白在线| 久久精品国产69国产精品亚洲 | 五福影院最新地址| 51国产偷自视频区视频| 小蝌蚪视频网站| 久久久久国产精品免费免费搜索 | 国产天堂亚洲国产碰碰| 香蕉在线精品视频在线观看6| 在线观看黄色一级片| 一本精品99久久精品77| 护士又湿又紧我要进去了| 久久无码人妻精品一区二区三区| 樱桃视频影院在线观看| 亚洲成年人电影网站| 波多野结衣一区二区三区在线观看| 免费看欧美一级特黄α大片 | 精品国偷自产在线视频| 国产一区二区三区在线免费观看 | 被农民工玩的校花雯雯| 国产女人高潮叫床视频| 色在线亚洲视频www| 国产精品成人免费视频网站| 91精品国产高清久久久久久91| 天堂网在线www| jlzzjlzz亚洲乱熟无码| 小雪与门卫老头全文阅读| 两性色午夜免费视频| 拔擦拔擦8x华人免费久久| 久久久久99精品成人片直播| 日本欧美视频在线| 久久国产精品系列| 日韩免费视频观看| 久久躁狠狠躁夜夜AV| 最新亚洲人成无码网www电影| 亚洲gv白嫩小受在线观看| 欧美一区二区三区视频在线观看 | 国产亚洲综合色就色| 国产激情小视频| 中文字幕色婷婷在线精品中| 国产精品久久久小说| 男女一边摸一边做爽的免费视频|