Briefing on Crop Protection Laboratory

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Goal：

• Establish epidemic monitoring and control techniques for significant crop pests and diseases to minimize the losses caused by pest and disease outbreaks.
• Develop non-pesticide control techniques for crop pests and diseases to reduce pesticide usage.
• Provide guidance to farmers on safe pesticide use to ensure that agricultural products meet safety standards.
• Establish "Crop Pest and Disease Diagnosis and Consultation Service Stations" to offer control prescriptions for targeted and effective pesticide use.

Personnel：

5 researchers (2 with Ph.D., 3 with Master's degrees), 2 technicians, 5 hired personnel, 3 project assistants, and 1 reserve plant doctor.

Facilities and Equipments：

Including one high-speed centrifuge, ultra-low temperature freezer, one differential interference phase contrast optical microscope, one motorized stereomicroscope, one automatic immune spectrum analyzer, one micro-shaking homogenizer, one polymerase chain reaction instrument, one automatic inoculation machine, one greenhouse, and two insect rearing rooms, etc.

Ongoing Works：

• Study on novel microbial formulations for the control of fruit tree pests and diseases.
• Long-term ecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems - grapes and passion fruit in the central region.
• Image recognition technology for grape pest identification.
• Impact of pesticide environmental dispersion on insect predators - sensitivity assessment of important predators to high-dose pesticides.
• Establishment of a green network for national ecological conservation - promoting the creation of environmentally friendly production environments for western fruit crops.
• Research on pest control techniques for harmful ants in agricultural areas.
• Integrated control techniques for citrus nematodes.
• Experimental testing of improved sulfur solution for disease control in honey gold mangoes.
• UVC ultraviolet light treatment for the control of important grape diseases.
• Isolation, identification, and sensitivity analysis of fruit rot fungi in cantaloupes.
• Isolation and identification of stem blight (fungal disease) in sweet peppers - a newly recorded disease.
• Detection of waterborne fungi - jar fungi associated with the transmission of melon necrotic spot virus in muskmelons.

Future Research Prospect：

• Development and Progress of Commercialization for Po Formulation (Development and Application of Entomopathogenic Fungi as Biocontrol Agents).
• Commercial Development and Application Promotion of Nematode Microbial Formulations (Screening and Potential Assessment of Nematode Egg Parasitic Fungi).
• Efficacy Testing and Application of Pesticide-Free Plant Protection Materials for Pest Control.
• Diffusion of Environmentally Friendly Plant Protection Materials in the IPM System for Bell Peppers.
• Demonstration and Promotion of Integrated Pest Management with Reduced Pesticide Usage for Peas and Green Onions.
• Development and Progress Planning of IPM Management Models for Major Grape Pests.
• Cross-Disciplinary and Integrated Research and Development - A. Development of Grape Pest Identification System; B. Development of Downy Mildew Prediction Model; Development of an Intelligent Precision Disease Monitoring System for Grapes (collaboration with National Taiwan University's contracted project).
• Development and Industrial Application of Grape Residue Disposal Techniques: Disease Testing.

Recent Research Results：