Crops apart, weeds pose serious health hazards for humans
Thursday September 6 2007 10:10 IST

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BHUBANESWAR: Spreading their tentacles at a menacing rate, weeds have
not only emerged as a major threat to crops, but also posing serious
health hazards to humans.

With 33 percent of crop loss in India attributed solely to weeds,
States in the North have put in place strategies to contain the
threat. Himachal Pradesh, for example, witnessed a 40 percent drop in
apple production due to proliferation of �Parthenium hysterophorus�
and went on to plant a competitive grass which checks the former�s spread.

Going unnoticed, incidence of asthma, eczema, dermatitis and hay fever
are being contributed by toxins released through pollen grains of this
dangerous weed. In Delhi, 30 percent of the asthma cases are
contributed by the pollen generated by this dangerous weed.

If agro-scientists are to be believed, at least 50 percent of the
fallow as well as wasteland in the State is covered by Parthenium
alone. In crop land, the cover is a lot lower - barely 0.5 percent.

But that, the scientists of the Weed Control Project of Indian Council
for Agricultural Research (ICAR) at OUAT, say is strong enough to
multiply given the life-cycles and growth rate.

�After we started off the awareness campaign on Parthenium in 2004,
Indian Rare Earths Ltd at Chhatrapur contacted us. They complained of
an increased incidence of asthma and sought out help to eliminate the
weed,� Dr Sudhanshu Sekhar Mishra, senior agronomist of the OUAT said.

Another Central PSU Nalco too sought similar assistance from the
varsity. Associate Professor Dr Saroj Mohanty said, threat to Orissa
is not as great as in other States but it needs to be controlled now.

The hazards are pronounced for the urban areas and mostly for the
industrial belts like Angul, Talcher, Sunabeda, Paradip and Keonjhar.
�We have monitored the rate of infestation and growth of the weed in
these districts basing on which eradication has been recommended,�
Mishra said.

The varsity is planning to submit proposals to the Orissa Government
so that research linking infestation of Parthenium and health hazards
can be taken up soon, he added.


http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20070905234911&Page=Q&Headline=Cr\
ops+apart%2C+weeds+pose+serious+health+hazards+for+humans&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0