ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can immensely benefit from a new laboratory opened by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to combat insect pests that spread disease and damage crop.

The new laboratory will increase IAEA’s ability to assist member countries in the application of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) — a nuclear technique of insect birth control which involves using radiation to sterilise male insects, reared in large numbers and released in a target area for mating with wild females.

Major crops like wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton in Pakistan have come under pest attacks. Farmers currently use various toxic chemicals and apply them too frequently for pest control.

The environment-friendly SIT is widely used in countries around the world to keep harmful insects at bay, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly and the screwworm fly.

The new Insect Pest Control Laboratory will facilitate research on the application of the technique for different insects, especially mosquito, which can transmit malaria, zika, etc.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2017