Council of Agriculture is expected to mass produce Trichogramma in order to contain future FAW infestations

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/15
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s fall armyworm (FAW) emergency response center said on Monday (July 15) that tiny Trichogramma wasps have proven effective in suppressing the growth of fall armyworms.

Furthermore, they can be mass produced in the future to prevent and contain the invasive species. The center said as of Sunday that a total of 206 FAW cases had been reported and confirmed across Taiwan, not including Chiayi City, with all FAW cases found in corn plants.

Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said Trichogramma, a natural enemy of FAW, have suppressed the expansion of FAW. He expected the government would mass produce Trichogramma to contain FAW infestations in the future.

Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Director-General Feng Hai-tung (馮海東) said Trichogramma has been used to contain American sugarcane borers and corn borers. He added the parasitic Trichogramma can prevent the hatching of FAW eggs and disrupt the life cycle.
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