Desert locust episode in Pakistan 2018-2021 and the current status of integrated desert locust management

Authors: Showler, Allan; SHAH, SIKANDAR - UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR; SULAIMAN - UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR; KHAN, SHEHARYAR - UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR; ULLAH, SAMI - UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR; SADAF - UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR; DEGOLA, FRANCESCA - UNIVERSITY OF PARMA

Submitted to: Journal of Integrated Pest Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2021
Publication Date: 1/5/2022
Citation: Showler, A., Shah, S., Sulaiman, Khan, S., Ullah, S., Sadaf, Degola, F. 2022. Desert locust episode in Pakistan 2018-2021 and the current status of integrated desert locust management. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 13. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmab036.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmab036

Interpretive Summary: Desert locust swarms, during outbreaks and plagues, can invade many countries across vast regions of Africa and Asia, consuming many crops and rangeland vegetation. In the most recent desert locust episode, following its June 2018 origin in Saudi Arabia, swarms entered Pakistan in March 2019 and damaged important crops in more than 60 districts in four provinces. A national emergency was declared on 1 Feb 2020. To avert large scale desert locust-induced food insecurity, Pakistan, assisted by multilateral and bilateral international aid agencies, conducted desert locust management operations. Surveillance and control were performed by ground and by air, and spraying mostly involved oil-based ultra-low volume insecticide formulations in addition to some nonconventional control tactics. Further, Pakistan established a multi-phased locust control policy and a National Locust Control Center with rapid response units. In order to prevent or mitigate desert locust-associated agricultural damage, additional improvements to management approaches are needed. The desert locust’s unique behaviors, and the magnitude and intermittent nature of swarming episodes, pose challenges to the development and use of integrated pest management strategies. The status of a possible integrated approach to desert locust management, including proactive and preventive intervention strategies, is discussed.

Technical Abstract: Desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), swarms, during outbreaks and plagues, can invade many countries across vast regions of Africa and Asia, consuming substantial quantities of crops and rangeland vegetation. In the most recent desert locust episode, following its June 2018 origin in Saudi Arabia’s remote interior, swarms entered Pakistan in March 2019 and devastated important crops, such as cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.; and maize, Zea mays L., in >60 districts of Baluchistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh provinces. A national emergency was declared on 1 Feb 2020. To avert large scale desert locust-induced food insecurity, the Department of Plant Protection, with assistance from other Pakistani organizations, and multilateral and bilateral international aid agencies, conducted surveillance and control operations. Surveillance and control were performed by ground and by air, and spraying mostly involved oil-based ultra-low volume insecticide formulations in addition to some nonconventional control tactics. Further, the government of Pakistan established a detailed multi-phased locust control policy and a National Locust Control Center with rapid response units deployed to vulnerable districts. In order to prevent or mitigate desert locust-associated agricultural damage, additional improvements to surveillance and control approaches are needed. The desert locust’s unique behaviors, and the magnitude and intermittency of swarming episodes, pose challenges to the development and implementation of coherent IPM strategies. The status of a possible integrated approach to desert locust management, including proactive and preventive intervention strategies, is discussed.