Aleppo, Syria and Kabul, Afghanistan. I June 2003. Using Sunn pest management information provided by ICARDA, the Central Asia Development Group (CADG) was able to save approximately 12.8 million dollars worth of wheat in Helmand Province of Afghanistan. According to Steve Shaulis, director of CADG, "we launched an emergency program with our extension workers, supported by community volunteers, and our program covered 32,000 hectares in around 7 days." The Sunn pest infestation was effectively controlled.

It is estimated that over 200,000 hectares of irrigated wheat in Afghanistan was rendered unusable because of Sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps) infestation in 2002. Sunn pest damages crops by feeding on the plants and by injecting chemicals that cause the grain's gluten
to break down. If as little as 2 or 3% of
the grain in a crop has been affected,
the entire harvest becomes unusable
for baking.

The effectiveness of IPM calls for a comprehensive biological and behavioral knowledge of Sunn pest, its natural enemies, farming practices in the region, host-plant resistance, and entomopathogenic fungi (naturally occurring fungi that can be used as biological insecticides), sex pheromones, cultural practices such as adjusting planting date and using early-maturing varieties, as well as limited use of pesticides to combat infestations. By using this approach, scientists hope to more effectively control infestations and decrease dependence on expensive and environmentally harmful chemicals that may also create resistance in the insect population.

Publications on Sunn pest control are being translated into Pashto and Dari for the benefit of extension workers and farmers in Afghanistan. The equipment for an IPM laboratory has been ordered and is to be installed in Kabul soon, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. Thirty Afghan plant protectionists and agronomists, including representatives from CADG, have been selected for the IPM training in Kabul. In addition, 10 Afghan plant protectionists are currently receiving training in Sunn pest IPM at ICARDA.

Trainees will learn how to conduct field assessments, which are necessary to reveal the degree of infestation and overwintering sites where Sunn pest can be controlled before migrating to crop areas in the spring.

With IPM introduced in the country, Afghan farmers will soon have access to safer, healthier and more effective measures of protecting their crops.

ICARDA's (www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest Center.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment

The Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan is a multi-partner effort led by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). More information on the Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan can be found at: www.futureharvest.org

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the government agency providing U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years (www.USAID.gov).

Central Asia Development Group (CADG): http://www.central-asia.net