|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Monday, 21 June 2004 |
 |
|
 |
World | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
B'deshi farmers reduce pesticide use with 'magic' sex hormone device DHAKA, Sunday (AFP) A new pest control device that employs the female sex hormone to attract and trap male insects is saving Bangladeshi farmers money and reducing pesticide use, a report said Friday. The water-filled glass jars, each mounted on two wooden poles, have so impressed farmers that they have dubbed the low-tech solutions "magic boxes," the Independent daily said. A capsule containing chemical pheromone is placed in the water and emits the female sex hormone, attracting male insects which drown in the water. A group of 32 farmers in Jessore district, 136 kilometers (85 miles) west of the capital Dhaka, began using the jars two years ago in a trial organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, which supplied the chemical. The farmers have reported a 30 percent increase in crop yield due to fewer plants being spoiled by excessive pesticide use, the report said. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
