Dushanbe, Nov 10: Tajik and Uzbek researchers have developed a genetically-modified "killer mushroom" that could wipe out the heroin industry in neighbouring Afghanistan, Tajik biologist Shavkat Saidmuradov told AFP.
Experiments financed by the United Nations as part of its war on drugs have shown the efficacy of the "Polyspore Papavericide" in destroying the opium poppy on which heroin is based, said Saidmuratov yesterday, a collaborator with the Tajik drugs squad.
Tests were carried out 100 kilometres North of Dushanbe at an altitude of 8,000 feet in conditions involving sharp fluctuations in temperature and a high exposure to the sun`s ultraviolet rays, he said.
"Opium poppy seeds were sown over half a hectare, and then the mushroom was spread over the area," he recounted.
The experiment showed that the "killer mushroom" was particularly effective in the early stages of the poppy`s growth, "cutting off its development, so that it withered away in 10 to 15 days."
The Tajik presidency`s spokesman on drugs, Avaz Yuldashev, described the results as "extremely important."
"There is very little opium produced in (the former Soviet Republics of) Central Asia, but this method could be used in Afghanistan which is one of the world`s greatest producers and poppy fields cover several hectares," he said.
Most of the heroin that finds its way to Western Europe is produced in Afghanistan, transiting through Tajikistan and Russia.
Bureau Report
