Taiwan Sugar UAV sprayed 2Quin4murD herbicide, neighboring pineapple damaged hormone chaos, experts: high concentration of spray in the air needs strict control

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The drone pesticide spraying policy is expected to hit the road next year, but this year it will first cause drug damage in the pineapple fields! Taiwan Sugar hired drones to spray the herbicide "2mai 4murD" in the sugar cane orchard. It was suspected that the wind caused scattered pollution, causing the pineapple to "stagger" along the way, and the leaves curled or withered directly. Because 2mai 4murd can interfere with plant hormones, pineapple farmers complain that apart from the directly damaged pineapples, the other affected pineapples do not blossom normally, and they may not be able to harvest next year.

According to the survey results of the agricultural testing institute and the experts of the Institute of drugs and drugs, the symptom of abnormal growth of pineapple in the affected field is very obvious. Although 2pineapple D metabolizes rapidly and may not be detected in more than one month, the drug damage can still be seen obviously. Although Taiwan Sugar admits that it was negligent in its work, the two sides are still in negotiations over the amount of compensation.

Zeng Dezhi, an honorary professor in the Department of Plant Pathology of Chung Hsing University, reminded that the gasification and drift characteristics of 2Min 4murD are remarkable, and disputes over contamination of surrounding crops are frequent. Coupled with the relatively high concentration of chemicals sprayed by drones, the risk of hasty use is extremely high. Feng Haidong, director of the Prevention and Inspection Bureau, said that next year, the first year of the take-off of the pesticide application standard for drones, the items of pesticides suitable for air application are already being counted, and a complete announcement will be made before the regulations are officially put on the road in March next year.

Pineapple farmers assist in collecting damaged pineapple samples and provide the drug institute for further analysis and testing. (photo / Lin Xiejun) 6.6 hectares of pineapple fields are suspected to be contaminated by drug damage, causing flowers to fail, and the stems and leaves curl to one side.

"you see, there is a 'curly heart' here, which is not normal to grow straight up, and they are all tilted to one side. There is a problem at a glance!" Sixteen people, including Chen Wencai, a male pineapple farmer in Chiayimin, collectively complained that when Taiwan Sugar Company hired drones to spray the herbicide 2min4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2MAH) in the sugar cane garden of Dahu Farm at the end of August, it was suspected of spreading pollution, resulting in abnormal growth of pineapple, curling stems and leaves of the plant, and failure to urge flowers. a total of 6.6 hectares of pineapple fields were damaged, and the livelihood of more than a dozen farmers was affected.

Chen Wencai points out that most pineapples are urged to blossom at the end of September, and he also tried to urge a batch of pineapples, but the success rate was less than 1%. "it's just a waste of work, and we're afraid of destroying the 'crime scene,' so we can only wait and have nothing to do all day." At present, it is impossible to urge the farmers to spend, but in June or July next year, the farmers will have nothing to harvest, and the painstaking efforts of nearly two years may be in vain.

Little knowledge: 2Jing 4MeiD belongs to synthetic auxin (hormone), which can be used as a herbicide at high concentration. The principle is to interfere with the balance of hormones in plants, promote or inhibit the growth of specific organs, and make weed stems and leaves twisted and stem bases thickened, resulting in plant death. If applied at low dose, it can be used as a growth promoter to promote branch growth, make fruit mature early, prevent falling flowers and fruits, and so on.

Farmer Chen Wenzai holds the abnormal growth of the pineapple plant (right), the stem and leaf "crooked side", unlike the normal leaf (left) straight upward growth. (photography / Lin Xiejun) Taiwan Sugar: to present scientific evidence

After three negotiations with Taiwan Sugar over the past two months, the victimized farmers still have no consensus on the amount of compensation. Taiwan Sugar said that on October 4, pineapple samples were collected and sent to SGS (Taiwan Inspection and Technology Company) for testing, but no residue was detected. Afterwards, it was still proposed that each hectare be willing to pay 150000 yuan in compensation, but farmers did not accept it. They asked for compensation of at least 1.6 million yuan per hectare. "only the ones closest to the sugarcane fields are more serious, and perhaps only 10% or 20% of the pineapples are affected. How can none of them be harvested?" Chen Hankun, head of Taiwan Sugar Sugar Division, said.

In this regard, Chen Wencai, who has the largest "affected area", explained that the "amount of 1.6 million yuan" is based on the average unit price of "40 yuan per pineapple" in the auction of pineapples from March to September this year, multiplied by 40,000 pineapples per hectare. "many of us are taking orders for housing. That good pineapple can be sold for more than 80 yuan. Today we are just asking for an average subsidy." He stressed that farmers are not lions who open their mouths and make random offers.

In early December, the Chiayi County government commissioned the Tainan Agricultural Reform Field to conduct an on-site survey, and initially ruled out that pineapples were caused by diseases and insect pests, but Taiwan Sugar insisted that everything should follow the procedure, not just guessing, but scientific evidence for everything. as long as it can be pointed out that the drug damage is caused by TSC, the company is absolutely responsible to the end.

Chen Hankun, head of the Sugar Division of Taiwan Sugar, explored the damaged pineapple orchard. (photo / Lin Xiejun) Agricultural examination Institute expert: pineapple grows abnormally, the weather is cold, and there are clusters of biochemical phenomena.

In order to clarify the relevant responsibilities, yesterday (19), the Chiayi County government, the Drug Institute of the Council of Agriculture, the Agricultural Laboratory, the Prevention and Inspection Bureau, the Taiwan Sugar Company and the victimized farmers "returned to the scene" to further identify the hazard factors.

After a survey of the pineapple expert and associate researcher of the horticulture department of the Chiayi Branch of the Agricultural Test Institute, Guan Qingshuan pointed out that the symptoms of abnormal growth of pineapples are very obvious. Pineapples are tropical fruits, and the current low temperature in autumn and winter should not be the season when pineapples are growing vigorously. On the other hand, the central leaves of pineapple plants in the field grow too thickly, and the leaves become shorter, which is the so-called "Rosette" phenomenon. "it is the abnormal growth point. 2mae4murD promotes the rapid growth of the plant. In theory, it has to stop at this point in time before it can differentiate into flower buds, but now it has been desperately growing leaves, causing it to promote flowers. Even if it succeeds, it will only produce small fruits."

Jiang Yongzheng, a researcher and head of the public hazard prevention and control team of the Institute of drugs and drugs, which is responsible for carrying out the public hazard analysis, also said that 2Magi 4murD has a fast metabolism and may not be detected in more than a month, but the appearance of the pineapple has obviously changed. it means that the effect of a certain drug hazard has already occurred, and it may not be appropriate to use only the standard of "residue or not". "of course, the test is the best, and the evidence is the most direct. However, if it cannot be tested now, it does not mean that the drug harm does not exist and has not had an effect in it. "

Pineapple expert, deputy of agricultural examination institute