A lingering heat wave has triggered a massive infestation of pests on the high-altitude grassland in northwest China's Xinjiang region, the local agricultural authority said.
Pests, mainly grass-eating bollworm, have plagued 158,000 hectares of grassland in altitude 3,500-4,500 meters above sea level in Kunlun Mountain, said Mu Chen, head of the locus prevention and control department in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
He said in Cele County, one of the worst hit regions, an area of 70,000hectares of grassland saw the density of the pests reach 133 heads for each 0.07 hectares on average.
Thatch grass, thorny shrubs and wormwood are the popular plants grown on the high-altitude grassland, which is prone to pest disasters in summer.
Xinjiang has been undergoing its worst summer drought since 1974, a catastrophe which has affected 18.6 million hectares of grassland, or 38 percent of the total grassland. The degradation has threatened to starve 12 million head of livestock, the regional government said in late July.
Mu said professional exterminators had been sent to the infested areas to assist in the pest control work. So far, pest infestation on 46,667 hectares of damaged grassland has been brought under control.
In addition to pesticides, farmers were encouraged to build nests for sparrows, a natural predator of the bollworm, in biological control to wipe out the pests.
This month, most of Xinjiang had endured heat of 35 to 37 degrees Celsius. The local agriculture authority had earlier warned of the potential risk for pest infestation with the rising temperature.
Source:Xinhua
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