Locusts
Why it Matters?
In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers have identified the pheromone 4-vinylanisole (4VA) that causes locusts to swarm and developed ways to block its production to prevent locust plagues in an eco-friendly manner.
What You Should Know?
Locusts belong to the grasshopper family Acrididae.
The Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is the most destructive migratory pest.
Locusts undergo gregarisation, transforming from solitary to social swarm behaviour.
A 1 km² swarm may contain up to 80 million locusts, consuming food for 35,000 people/day.
Large swarms can consume up to 1.8 million metric tons of vegetation.
Locusts are migratory pests, capable of flying hundreds of kilometers in swarms.
They are transboundary pests, moving between Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
India’s Scheduled Desert Area includes Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana, over 2 lakh sq. km.
Locust invasions often originate in Africa and the Gulf and travel to India via Pakistan.
Four locust species reported in India:
Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Migratory Locust (Locusta migratoria)
Bombay Locust (Nomadacris succincta)
Tree Locust (Anacridium sp.)
The Locust Warning Organization (LWO) under the Ministry of Agriculture monitors locust activity.
India has 10 Locust Circle Offices in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
LWO works with state governments for survey, monitoring, and control in desert zones.
New Discovery:
Scientists discovered that a chemical called 4-vinylanisole (4VA) causes locusts to gather and form swarms.
They found that blocking the enzyme 4-vinylphenol methyltransferase 1 (4VPMT1) or using Ribonucleic Acid interference (RNAi) can stop swarming in an eco-friendly and safe way.