Top international experts from Finland, Colombia, Australia, the US andSoutheast Asia discussed methods to control invasive mealybuginfestation on cassava and other plants at a three-day workshop, thatconcluded on December 11 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Dried cassava chips and starch are one of Vietnam's top 10 key export products.
Cassava is the third-largest source of calories after rice and maizein Southeast Asia. It is used as a food, animal feed and starchprocessing, and currently the main raw material for bio-fuel andbio-film processing.
Kris Wyckhuys, leadentomologist in Asia for the International Centre for TropicalAgriculture (CIAT), said Southeast Asian cassava crops were historicallypest-free until 2008 when a highly destructive pest of cassava,Phenacoccus manihoti, was discovered in Thailand and then in neighboringcountries.
Other kinds of invasive mealybugs were also affecting cassava crops in parts of the region.
"Invasive pests come in many forms, and sometimes we don't know exactly what they are and where they are," he said.
The workshop in Ho Chi Minh City is the first one held to tackle the region's threat of invasive mealybug pests.
It was orgainsed by CIAT, the Institute of Agricultural Sciences ofSouthern Vietnam, the Plant Protection Research Institute and the PlantProtection Department. and supported by the International Fund forAgricultural Development.
The workshop aims toraise awareness about the invasive mealybug threat, equip localresearchers with practical training in species identification, and learnabout mealybug ecology, Wyckhuys said.
It is hosting academic talks, field visits, hands-on training and presentations on mealybug taxonomy and identification.
Ngo Quang Vinh, deputy director of the Institute of AgriculturalSciences for Southern Vietnam, said Vietnam had seen a big jump incassava production in recent years, with currently the highest yield inthe world.
However, cassava production in Vietnam, like other countries in the region, is facing a problem of disease and insects.
"Among them, invasive mealybugs are the most dangerous," he said.
"Last year, it occurred first in Tay Ninh province, which has thelargest cassava area, and then it spread to many other provinces," hesaid.
Although measures were taken, the results were limited, he added.
"The impact of mealybugs in Vietnam could be devastating if we do not act now," Kris Wyckhuys, said.
Ngo Tien Dung of the Plant Protection Deaprtment said mealybugs hadbecome more widespread, affecting many plants, including cassava,custard apple, papaya, pineapple, sugarcane, citrus fruit and others.
"Farmers' practices of using pesticides areineffective, and lead to more severe outbreaks. The abuse of chemicalsis also hazardous for food safety and affects the environment," Dungsaid.-VNA
Dried cassava chips and starch are one of Vietnam's top 10 key export products.
Cassava is the third-largest source of calories after rice and maizein Southeast Asia. It is used as a food, animal feed and starchprocessing, and currently the main raw material for bio-fuel andbio-film processing.
Kris Wyckhuys, leadentomologist in Asia for the International Centre for TropicalAgriculture (CIAT), said Southeast Asian cassava crops were historicallypest-free until 2008 when a highly destructive pest of cassava,Phenacoccus manihoti, was discovered in Thailand and then in neighboringcountries.
Other kinds of invasive mealybugs were also affecting cassava crops in parts of the region.
"Invasive pests come in many forms, and sometimes we don't know exactly what they are and where they are," he said.
The workshop in Ho Chi Minh City is the first one held to tackle the region's threat of invasive mealybug pests.
It was orgainsed by CIAT, the Institute of Agricultural Sciences ofSouthern Vietnam, the Plant Protection Research Institute and the PlantProtection Department. and supported by the International Fund forAgricultural Development.
The workshop aims toraise awareness about the invasive mealybug threat, equip localresearchers with practical training in species identification, and learnabout mealybug ecology, Wyckhuys said.
It is hosting academic talks, field visits, hands-on training and presentations on mealybug taxonomy and identification.
Ngo Quang Vinh, deputy director of the Institute of AgriculturalSciences for Southern Vietnam, said Vietnam had seen a big jump incassava production in recent years, with currently the highest yield inthe world.
However, cassava production in Vietnam, like other countries in the region, is facing a problem of disease and insects.
"Among them, invasive mealybugs are the most dangerous," he said.
"Last year, it occurred first in Tay Ninh province, which has thelargest cassava area, and then it spread to many other provinces," hesaid.
Although measures were taken, the results were limited, he added.
"The impact of mealybugs in Vietnam could be devastating if we do not act now," Kris Wyckhuys, said.
Ngo Tien Dung of the Plant Protection Deaprtment said mealybugs hadbecome more widespread, affecting many plants, including cassava,custard apple, papaya, pineapple, sugarcane, citrus fruit and others.
"Farmers' practices of using pesticides areineffective, and lead to more severe outbreaks. The abuse of chemicalsis also hazardous for food safety and affects the environment," Dungsaid.-VNA
