Taiwan Agricultural Chemical and Toxic Substance Research Institute has developed a toxin-free biopesticide which can protect crops from intractable pests. For the last 18 years, researchers are working on biopesticide, which is based on photorhabdus luminescence, a bacterial insect pathogen. Taiwan is the first country to mass produce this product.
According to the statement, the biopesticide has been proven to have excellent ovicidal activity against hard-to-control pests such as spider mites, which are often found in papaya, other fruit trees and flowering plants. The institute will apply to the Council of Agriculture to authorize the mass production and sale of biopesticide in Taiwan.
The research was initially inspired by a 2003 study published by the University of Wisconsin in the United States about the efficacy of photorhabdus luminesces in killing pests and bacteria, but was performed on a local photorhabdus luminesces strain.
