East Azerbaijan reports 56% reduction in wheat sunn pest damage

Mohsen Ghahramannajad, Director of Plant Protection for the East Azerbaijan Agricultural Jihad Organization, announced a significant decrease in wheat damage caused by the sunn pest. The average sunn pest damage rate for wheat purchased through guaranteed procurement centers in the province has dropped to 0.07% this year.

This figure represents a 56% reduction from the previous year's 0.16% and an approximately 80% decrease compared to the 0.34% recorded two years ago. Officials attribute this improvement to strengthened monitoring networks, continuous field surveillance of wheat and barley crops, and timely technical notifications to farmers.

Key preventative measures included the establishment of specialized pest control task forces at provincial and county levels, field sampling, and monitoring the movement of adult pests from overwintering sites to fields. These efforts aim to protect both the quantity and quality of the harvest, as uncontrolled pest populations can damage grain quality and gluten properties, negatively impacting the wheat's suitability for breadmaking.