Sunn pest Research Department (SPRD) commenced its activity in 1996 due to wide distribution of Sunn pest in the country and its considerable damage to yield and grain quality. Research, education and extension activities of SPRD are conducting and performing in collaboration with other academic and administrative centers such as the Biotechnology Research Institute, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Institute for Dryland Research, Soil and Water Research Institute, Research Institute of Cereals, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research centers and Plant Protection Organization on a national scale. The department has also collaborations with international institutes such as ICARDA.
- Biology and ecology of wheat and other cereal pests
- Biological control of SunnSunn pest and other cereal pests
- Physiology of SunnSunn pest and other cereal pests
- Chemical control of SunnSunn pest and other cereal pests
- Plant resistance to SunnSunn pest and other cereal pests
Some achievements of Sunn Pest Research Department are: Instructions on sampling methods and models for monitoring Sunn pest, determination economic injury level for SunnSunn pest adults and nymphs, optimization Sunn pest biological control using egg parasitoids and presentation a forecasting network for Sunn pest control. In order to diversify effective pesticides on Sunn pest, chemical control optimization resulted in introduction and registration new insecticides. Reduction of the recommended dosage of Deltametrin insecticide by 40% saved control cost of the Sunn pest considerably. Sunn pest research department has organized 14 international and national workshops and held 3 annual meetings and offered 3 technical field instructions. Almost 50 research projects have been carried out, more than 20 Ph.D. and M.Sc. thesis were supervised and about 50 scientific research papers were published by scientific members of this department
Besides identification skill of pest species in wheat and barley farms and application of geographical information system, Scientific members of Sunn Pest Research Department have dealing with integrated pest management components including sampling methods and models, monitoring and forecasting networks, economic injury level, life table, population dynamics, biological control theories and strategies, optimization rearing methods and pest control tactics.