AgroPages-China’s proprietary biopesticide-metarhizium formulations to be mass produced by year-end-Agricultural news

Recently, Professor Xia Yuxian’s research team from Chongqing University, which developed the broad-spectrum insecticidal metarhizium OD and wettable powder, fulfilled the registration-related field trial requirements, and got approval for the registration of technical materials and formulation products, as well as the production permit.

The broad-spectrum biopesticide is expected to go into mass production by the end of the year.

In 2003, Xia Yuxian’s research team developed China’s first biopesticide-metarhizium, which has been used for applications in the 10 major locust regions in North China, having been proved to be 90% effective in the control of locusts.

Through repeated studies, technical personnel were able to identify the fine broad-spectrum metarhizium anisopliae out of the more than 1,000 insecticidal microbiological strains. Since 2011, with the support of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, demonstration trials and large-area applications have been undertaken in major rice-producing regions of Hubei and Hunan provinces, where nearly 100 demonstration sites have been established. The trials show that the biopesticide not only has a high efficiency and broad spectrum, but is also easy and convenient to use.