The insecticidal pheromone formula is used to reduce the harm of Ostrinia furnacalis.

In addition to the breeding work, the Agricultural testing Institute also has a key task, that is, to keep seeds. When keeping seeds in corn fields, agricultural testing institute researchers will encounter a serious problem of corn borer. In the past, Taosong was sprayed to prevent the harm of Asian corn borer, because the corn was reserved for seed use rather than edible, so there was no problem. However, agricultural testing institute researchers did not want to spray pesticides for prevention and control, so they went to drug centers for help. The drug institute prepared suitable sex pheromone, trapped a large number of adults, and sprayed only one preparation of thurilia commonly used in organic agriculture in the middle of the period, which successfully suppressed the harm of Asian corn borer to corn.

Once trapping and killing adult worm   with thuringiensis and pheromone significantly reduced the damage of Asian corn borer to corn field.

The Institute of Medicine and Drug Administration has actively promoted biological pesticides in the past two years. Biological pesticides mainly include microorganisms, pheromones and other natural materials. At present, more than 20 different pheromone-related products have been issued, and the target crop requested for assistance in agricultural trials is corn. The main pest of corn is the Asian corn borer, and the secondary pest is beet armyworm. Asian corn borer pheromone has been prepared by the drug institute for use in agricultural trials. Since the period of corn seedlings, pheromone traps have been set up. There are 40 traps for Asian corn borer and 20 traps for beet armyworm per hectare, and arranged in concentric circles, which is tantamount to encircling and protecting all cornfields and carrying out a large number of traps and killings until the corn is harvested.

Hong Qiaozhen, an associate researcher in the Biopharmaceuticals Group of the Institute of Medicine and Poison, said that field experiments were conducted in both spring and autumn cropping of corn. In addition to setting up pheromone traps, the first area of autumn cultivation was sprayed with thurium once. The test results showed that it could greatly reduce the density of Asian corn borer and beet armyworm, and significantly reduce the harm of corn plants being drilled into the Asian corn borer. According to the experimental data of the Institute of Medicine and Drug, with the adult trapping area of sex pheromone as the experimental area and the pesticide habitual area as the control area, the damage rate of spring corn plants to Asian corn borer decreased from 92.7% to 17.1% from 92.7% in the control area. The damage rate of autumn corn decreased from 54.7% to 3.4% and 18.1% (there are 2 areas in the experimental area).

The planting area of edible corn in China is about 15,000 hectares. Asian corn borer is a key pest. It will drill into corn ears and stems to feed, which will cause great losses to corn. The current situation of corn borer control is to adopt a comprehensive control method, in addition to the large-scale release of Trichogramma, but also with the use of granular agents, but the granules are only useful when placed in the heart leaves, which is quite labor-consuming. If you grow organic corn, Hong Qiaozhen said that farmers who grow organic edible corn have told him to spray a large amount of thurilia, but it is a biological control material, and the cost is relatively high. according to the results of corn field experiments conducted by agricultural testing stations, sex pheromone trapping adults with a spray of thiobacillus thuringiensis can achieve a good control effect, and the cost of organically growing corn can be greatly reduced.

Field experiments on the specific pheromone formula   of corn spike worm tailored to Jinmen sorghum

In addition to corn, the drug institute also tested the effect of pheromone on the main pests of sorghum. Sorghum and corn are gramineous crops related to each other. The main pest of sorghum is corn ear insect, also known as tomato night moth. It feeds on the ears of sorghum, and once entangled, it will seriously affect the harvest of sorghum.

The main producing area of sorghum is Jinmen, and the planting area is about 2,000 hectares. when the Institute of Medicine and toxin cooperated with the Jinmen epidemic Prevention Institute to conduct a trapping experiment, it was found that there were geographical differences between the corn ear insects in Kinmen and the same pests in Taiwan. therefore, the original pheromone formula of corn ear insects in Jinmen has limited effect on corn ear insects in Jinmen, so it is also tailor-made pheromone formula for corn ear insects in Jinmen. however, field trials have not yet been carried out.

The Asian corn borer (right) is a key pest of corn, which can feed on the ears and stems of corn (left). (photo / courtesy of the Drug Institute)

The main pest of sorghum in Jinmen is corn spike (left). When the Institute of Medicine and Drug Administration cooperated with Jinmen epidemic Prevention Institute in the trapping experiment (right), it was found that there were geographical differences between Jinmen corn spike and the same kind of pest in Taiwan. (photo / courtesy of Jinmen epidemic Prevention Center)

The sex pheromone of Ostrinia furnacalis prepared by the Institute of Medicine and toxin was used to trap adults, and only once was sprayed with thurilia during the experimental period, but the control effect was good. (table / Drug Institute)