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    The National Agricultural Technology Center convened the 2022 National Locust Outbreak Trend Consultation Meeting.


    Release Date:

    2022-06-02

      To implement the spirit of the “2022 National ‘Two Increases, Two Reductions’ Action Plan for Controlling Pest Populations and Ensuring a Bountiful Harvest,” the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center convened an online consultation meeting on the 2022 national locust outbreak trend on May 31. The meeting invited experts, including Academician Kang Le of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and researcher at the Institute of Zoology, to deliver specialized reports on locust disaster forecasting and control. Representatives from six provinces and municipalities—Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, and Shaanxi—presented exchange reports. Wang Ge, Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center, and Wang Jianqiang, Director of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Division of the Department of Crop Production Management under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, attended the meeting and delivered remarks. More than 100 technical personnel responsible for locust monitoring and control, from provincial plant protection stations in 22 locust‑affected regions nationwide as well as from several key grassroots plant protection stations, participated in the meeting and accompanying training sessions.
      Building on a review of expert presentations on advances in locust monitoring and control technologies, practical experience in pest management, and trend analyses, the meeting focused on exchanging information on locust dynamics across major infestation areas, deliberated on the 2022 summer outbreak trends for the East Asian migratory locust, and further outlined plans for year-round guidance on locust monitoring and control. Based on surveys conducted last autumn and this spring—covering residual adult populations, egg‑density levels, and developmental stages—and taking into account meteorological conditions and changes in the ecological environment of infested regions, a comprehensive assessment indicates that the 2022 summer outbreak of the East Asian migratory locust will be generally moderate. However, localized areas such as the Yellow River–adjacent zones in Shandong and Henan may experience high‑density nymphal patches, while certain locust‑prone areas—including riverbank habitats in Ditu Town, Beichen District, Tianjin, and the Yellow River floodplain in Puyang County, Henan—face an elevated risk of sudden outbreaks.
      The meeting emphasized that we are currently in a critical period—when summer locusts are emerging from their overwintering sites and mobilizing for prevention and control. It is essential to conduct a scientific analysis of the new challenges facing locust control, approach locust‑related disaster management from a politically conscious perspective, and ensure thorough implementation of this year’s monitoring and control measures in agricultural areas, thereby taking the initiative in winning this year’s “locust‑control campaign.” First, strengthen monitoring and early warning: all localities must intensify locust‑situation surveillance, with particular emphasis on border regions between provinces, newly infested areas, and non‑priority zones, while upgrading the level of automated locust‑monitoring systems. Second, enhance guidance on prevention and control: during the key phases of locust outbreak management, local authorities should dispatch technical personnel to the front lines in affected areas, leaving no blind spots in surveying or gaps in treatment, and carry out oversight and technical assistance to ensure that any sudden locust outbreaks can be addressed promptly and effectively. Third, reinforce financial management: local governments should actively seek complementary funding from their own budgets, make advance arrangements for the procurement of control agents, the purchase of control services, and technical training, and ensure that funds are used fully, efficiently, and effectively. All efforts must be directed toward advancing sustainable locust‑management practices, thus making further contributions to securing a bumper grain harvest for the year.

     

    Source: National Agricultural Technology Center Author: National Agricultural Technology Center

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