TARI has focused on the rising temperature, agricultural water resource shortage and natural disaster increase and therefore integrated the research of COA, corporations and universities to develop adaptation technologies on paddy rice, grain crop, fruit tree, vegetable, grouper, tilapia, Pacific white shrimp, milky cow, milky goat and White Roman goose since 2020. With the strengthening of basic facilities, stabilization of production environment, enhancement of crop, livestock and fishery resilience and establishment of adaptation network, feasible implementation methods were designed to ultimately conduct resilient agriculture in Taiwan.

May 5, 2022: International Forum
Forum: Challenges and Opportunities of Agri-Food e-Commerce

May 6, 2022: Farmer Workshop
Agri-Food e-Commerce: Farmer, Private, and Public Perspectives

Themes 
Current development of agri-food e-commerce.
Opportunities of agri-food e-commerce for tropical fruit farmers for local and regional markets.
Overview of agri-food e-commerce and public/ private platforms.
Capacity development programs of e-commerce.

 https://en.mofa.gov.tw/News_Content.aspx?n=1328&sms=273&s=97428

 

    The COA states that given the advanced state of Taiwan’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and its leading position in terms of agricultural technology and knowledge, through a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Intelligence (HI), Taiwan can use Digital Twin Solutions for Smart Farming to address its problems of the aging farming population and  rural labor shortage. Using digital methods to simultaneously record and model the real environment and crop growth, the powerful “left brain” logic of AI and the precious “right brain” experience of HI can be combined, and, using sensors and digital models, the agricultural techniques and decision-making behaviors of crop experts and professionals can be turned into knowledge models. These models will transform intangible experience into tangible knowledge to be passed down to others. Besides upgrading farmers’ “intelligent monitoring and precision production” capabilities, this will transform Taiwan’s agricultural production structure and launch a new era for agriculture.

    There was a tremendous response for this year’s competition, with a total of 38 teams signing up to participate. During the morning of March 24, final decisions were made, and in the afternoon prize money and awards were given to eight outstanding teams. There was a total of NT$400,000 in prize money, with NT$200,000 going to the team that finished in first place. First prize went to the “HSNLab” team from the Department of Computer Science at National Tsing Hua University, second prize went to the “Digital Shadow Clone Technology” team from the Department of Agronomy at National Taiwan University, and third prize went to the “South-North Coder Partner for Inspecting Field Irrigation” team from the Institute of Computer and Communication Engineering at National Cheng Kung University. The COA will assist prize-winning teams to get internships at enterprises, so that the creativity of the students can be genuinely applied in industry. The overall goals are to accelerate the spread of smart agriculture and train agricultural professionals who understand intelligent production for the future.

Project Highlights:

• To enhance farmers' autonomous disaster prevention ability.
• To setup the regional disaster prevention system in 30 important crop production areas.

Changes in status quo:

• Establishment of disaster preventive ability in community
• Early proactive operation for disaster reduction
• Early alert and disaster situation update for decision-making system
• Shortening relief and reconstruction process efficiently

    The COA states that APAARI is a peripheral organization under the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It has been more than 20 years since its establishment in 1990 and its headquarters are in Bangkok, Thailand. Since becoming a formal member of APAARI in 1999 (and as a current member of the Executive Committee), Taiwan has actively participated in APAARI operations, which has been helpful to upgrading agricultural technology development and scientific research in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region. At this 2018 General Assembly Meeting, Taiwan again won support from member countries to continue to serve as a member of the Executive Committee in 2019-2020.

    The COA explains that in order to strengthen linkages and consolidate international cooperation between Taiwan and APAARI, since 2008 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has funded cooperative agricultural projects of the Asia-Pacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology and Bioresources (APCoAB), a subsidiary organization under APAARI. Moreover, Taiwan holds the vice-chairmanship of the Steering Committee of the APCoAB, and works together with all member countries to promote the use and development of bioresources in the Asia-Pacific region.

    The COA emphasizes that continued participation in APAARI operations will be helpful to ensuring that academic research in Taiwan stays on track with international research, and moreover can expand Taiwan’s international participation and increase Taiwan’s importance in regional development. In particular, because most APAARI member countries are New Southbound Policy partner countries, participation in APAARI will facilitate the promotion of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy.

*Data Source: Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, R.O.C.

Anti-aging-to improve memory and learning ability

Various fungal materials

Anti-stress-to improve acute and chronic stresses

Various fungal materials

Rice varieties rich in anthocyanin-for anti-aging with anti-oxidative activities

Purple Waxy Rice applied in bakery recipes

Banana resistant starch-to regulate metabolic syndromes

	Recipe: banana resistant starch, effectively alleviated postprandial blood sugar increment in animal tests

Whole grain flour of high amylose content Corn-to regulate metabolic syndromes

Functional raw material High AC variety GAP production GMP Processing Animal test Functional Products Whole grain flour For various recipes Long-storage life Functional starchy foods

Rice bran essential oil-wound healing formula

SPF Swine species-wound tissue dissections

Granulation tissue: wound healing better than medicine treatment

Herbal formula-enhancing hair growth 

Bidens pilosa GACP development-to regulate metabolic syndromes

    Long-term ecological data are especially important when we are facing a changing environment where climate change is a happening at an alarming rate and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. With the progress of long-term ecological research, ILTER’s vision is to develop international ecological and socio-economic solutions through question-driven research, and also with a unique ability to design collaborative, site-based projects, ILTER is able to compare data from a global network of sites, monitor and detect global trends. This vision is incorporated into the theme of this conference.

    The Institute and the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region held an international seminar on "ICT Strengthening Prevention Strategies and Early Warning Systems for Agricultural Disasters" in the International Conference Hall of Taiwan agriculture Research Institute (TARI) in October 22-23, 2018. Experts and scholars at home and abroad are invited to share their experiences in agricultural disaster prevention, especially using ICT technology to strengthen early prevention of crop disasters. The seminar included 14 national and domestic researchers from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, reporting the research results and sharing experiences, in addition, through the Firm Exhibition to introduce the advance of ICT Technology in Taiwan.

    This seminar focused on the introduction of early warning system developed by countries, including meteorological disasters, pest and disease monitoring and greenhouse environmental monitoring, especially emphasizing meteorological information for value added and satellite imagery monitor crop damage by disasters, focusing on the concept and implementation of disaster risk reduction, analyzing and reducing the impact of disasters through systematic approach. In addition, new disaster warning technology will be used to enhance farmers autonomous ability to manage crops for disasters, and construct a disaster information dissemination mechanism based on ICT technology, to transmit instant disaster information to farmers, and to assess the harvest and economic losses caused by agricultural disasters. We hope that through interactive discussions can help the development of climate smart agriculture and reduce the negative impacts of natural disasters in food supply chain. In this seminar, we will also reach consensus and hope that countries can share experiences as well as seek cooperation opportunities.

    Agricultural disasters, especially typhoons, heavy rains, and drought, threaten the farmer’s income and stable supply of agricultural products. Facing the challenges of future climate change, the frequency and intensity of disasters will be more extreme, and a complete with more efficient disaster reduction system must be constructed to mitigate the impact of extreme weather. As a specific way like the development the disaster prevention technology of important crops production areas, emphasizing the functions of pre-disaster warning, identify the disaster alert area when disaster happen, and post-disaster survey for the rehabilitation of crops. It also clarifies the critical conditions of different crops and growth periods, estimates the probability of occurrence of crop losses, and establishes a complete knowledge database for crop disasters.

    In this seminar will emphasize the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze and reduce the causal factors of disasters. Wise management of crops and the environment using innovative disaster prevention technologies, and setup the early warning systems by ICT techniques to send the disaster messages to farmers, evaluate the vulnerability of cultivation and economic lose by disaster. In other hand, we invite ICT vendors to demonstrate the latest products for environmental monitoring and crop disaster (or cultivation) warning system. The goals of meeting is through the multidimensional discussion will help the development of climate smart agriculture and reduce the impact of natural hazards on food production systems.

★ Registration: http://web.tari.gov.tw/registration/act/index-1.asp?m2=878&sid=177

★ Because of seat limitation, please register as early as possible.

★ For further questions, please call (+886) 2-2362-6239 ext.18 Ms. Wei or call (+886) 4-2331-7715 Dr. Yao.

(left) The biocontrol efficiency of Plutella xylostella was 100%.
(right) The fertilizer exhibited effective biocontrol activity against P. xylostella and promoted cabbage growth in the field.

Integrated cultural management of organic papaya grown under a net house

(left) Mealbug infestation of organic papaya grown under a net house.
(right) Integrated cultural management can effectively hinder mealbugs and Kanzawai spider mites from harming papayas.

Organic tomato farming with soilless culture

(left) Automatic irrigation system for soilless culture in organic farming.
(middle) Organic liquid fertilizer production.
(right) Organic tomato farming with soilless culture.

    The division of plant pathology has been devoting in developing sensitive, efficient and cost effective techniques for the detection of plant viruses occurring on economically important crops in Taiwan. We are also working closely with BAPHIQ, serving as virus indexing center, on the establishment of propagation and certification systems for virus-free seeds and seedlings. Currently, we are providing virus indexing services with minimum charges based on types of indexing techniques and number of sample and virus to be tested. Indexing of more than 40 kinds of viruses infecting ornamental, fruit, vegetable and special crops can be arranged.

Viruses cause a decline in plant growth vigor and production

ELISA is a fast, cost effective and most widely used method

PCR and RT-PCR are very sensitive and accurate indexing methods

Materials & Methods:

(1). Dipping solution: 200~300 times dilution of the formulated “Plant oils mixture”.

(2). Duration of dipping: One second is sufficient. Both the medium and seedlings must be thoroughly submerged. Phytotoxicity may be resulted if prolong the dipping duration.

(3). Phytotoxicity test: A pretest must be conducted to make sure no phytotoxicity occurred within 48 hrs. Once it is confirmed, dipping treatment can then be applied for massive seedlings.

(4). Notes: Dipping treatment must be done outside the garden, and move the treated seedlings into the garden A.S.A.P.

Slightly bend the nursery plate to prevent seedling floating, and completely submerged for 1 sec.

Shrinkage or swollen body of pests

Processed sweet potato products

    Numerous processed sweet potato products have been developed, including chips, French fries, deep-fried sweet potato balls, noodles, glutinous dumplings, steamed buns, candies, baked sweet potato, and candied sweet potato.

Functional wine

    In response to the growing interest in healthy living, herbs and liquor have been combined to produce functional wine. The drink has an alcohol content of approximately 10% to 12% (V/V) and a moderate taste, rich color, and unique, appealing flavor. It is an ideal choice for people who are health conscious but also enjoy an occasional drink.

Low-calorie food additive: Auricularia polysaccharides and fiber

      The extract of Auricularia polytricha, Taiwan’s main variety of cultivated fungus, can reduce osteoporosis in menopausal women. Extraction byproducts contain many nonabsorbable fungal polysaccharides and fibers that are natural thickeners and emulsifiers and can be used to make low-fat salad and German sausage, low-calorie polysaccharide drinks, and high-fiber cookies, among other products.

Nonedible products

Novel utilization of Tremella polysaccharides

    Tremella polysaccharides extracted from the fruiting bodies of Tremella fuciformis Berk have high moisture retention capacity and can be used as natural ingredients in moisturizing cosmetics, there are known as botanical hyaluronic acid. Tremella polysaccharide extract also has antiinflammatory effects, adding sodium alginate mixed spinning made Tremella nonwoven dressing, can promote wound healing when used as a dressing material.

Processed rice products

    The rice bran and embryo of golden rice, giant embryo rice, and purple scented rice serve as the raw ingredients in the manufacturing of rice bran and embryo beauty soap, distillers’ dried grain soap, rice bran polisher, rice whitening lotion, and rice hydrating serum.

    The development of whole indica chromosome substitution lines under TNG71 with japonica background that will be helpful on some parts included (1) introgressing indica elite genes into Taiwanese cultivars, (2) evaluating the pyramiding effect on and gene-environment interaction in target traits, and (3) introducing marker-assisted selection (MAS) into rice breeding.

Background recovery ratio of whole chromosome substitution lines (WCSL) in each backcross generation

Morphological performance of TNG71 WCSL and two parents

Establishment of MAS platform with a high grain number to increase yield potential

    Novel rice cultivar improvement with high yield potential was made through marker-assisted backcross selection that introduced high grain number gene form Habataki into Tainung 71 within 3 years. The grain number per panicle of TNG71-Gn1 would be increased 26% from 105.2 to 132.5 and grain yield could increase 4.2% to 5,536 kg/ha in the second crop season.

Plant, panicle type, and genotype of novel line TNG71-Gn1

Grain number distribution of TNG71-Gn1 and two parents

Microspore culture of Brassicaceae plants

Microspore culture and embryogenesis of cauliflower and broccoli plants.

Applying thin cell layer culture technique for improving micropropagation of Phalaenopsis

Shoot regeneration and development of Phalaenopsis using thin cell layer culture derived from short stem.

Applying embryo rescue and polyploidy induction techniques on breeding of Phalaenopsis

Embryo rescue of intergeneric hybridization and flower of polyploidy.

Establishment bud-cutting method for micro-propagation of Chinese Cymbidium

In vitro bud-cutting method including disinfection of shoots, in vitro shoot multiplication, rooting and ex vitro acclimation of Cymbidium ensifolium 'Yuh Hwa'.

Collections of isolates and races of pathogens for disease resistance tests

Fig. 1. Rice blast (A), powdery mildew of Cucurbitaceae (B), phytophthora blight of pepper and late blight of potato (C), and other pathogenic fungi for test.

Selection of resistant mustards against Turnip mosaic virus by  (TuMV) challenging inoculation and virus indexing

Fig. 2. (E)Collection of different virulent TuMV strains → (F) Plants were inoculated with TuMV and observed the development of disease → (G) Further virus indexing by ELISA & RT-PCR.

Fig. 1. Suitable combination of lighting system and fertigation can enhance the  quality of leafy vegetables.

Fig. 2. Supplementary light with rhizosphere cooling treatment can effectively reduce hypocotyl elongation with strong vigor.

Fig.3. Nighttime lighting treatments on Chrysanthemum spp.

Fig. 4. Six selected ornamental plants grown under indoor light condition.

Fig. 5. Effects of lighting treatments on photosynthetic rate at the 5^th week of growth for six selected ornamental plants grown under indoor light condition. Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level by LSD test.

    Morphological methods allow for the rapid and cost-effective identification of insect species. Most conventional methods require only a few seconds to correctly identify a pest species using specific morphological characteristics.

Rapid diagnosis of Aulacophora indica, A. kotoensis, and A. semifusca based on pronotal, antennal, and genital morphology.

Molecular technology for identification of agricultural insects

    DNA profiles can be applied to accurately determine insect species. The molecular technology is particularly useful for species identification of insect specimens such as eggs, larvae, and remains that are difficult to identify based on morphological features alone. DNA technologies have been developed for the identification of some quarantine pests and mass-reared natural enemies, such as tetranychid mites, bulb mites, Trichogramma wasps and green lacewings.

Eggs of mites are most commonly found on stalks and navels of imported apples.

Multiplex PCR (left) and DNA chip (right) for detection of quarantine species of mites on imported apples.

    A natural product made of plant oils was developed at TARI for control of spider mites, aphids and whiteflies. The formulation of this product has been communicated to three companies for commercial applications.

Bait-methods for controlling fire ants

    A bait developed at TARI was registered and licensed for control this insect pest. The bait contains the active ingredient borax (sodium tetraborate) which has high toxicity to fire ants but low toxicity to humans and other mammals. This baiting technique has been transferred to companies for developing commercial products for fire ant control.

A commercial product for the control of fire ants. Note package (top) and granulated bait (bottom).	Fire ants are feeding on the bait or carrying the bait into nest.

Agri-soap

    Agri-soap is an agricultural soap and disinfectant developed at TARI for the control of aphids and spider mites. The product is non-toxic to humans and other mammals and is commercially available to general public for use in the management of aphids and spider mites in gardens and other landscaped areas.

The agri-soap product developed at TARI.

Symptoms of five potyvirus diseases of calla lily.

Large flowers of calla lily from healthy plants and small flowers from virus-infected plants.

Specific nucleic acid molecule detection reagents

Using RT-PCR technology to determine the type of virus in field samples of calla lily.

Reagents developed at TARI for the detection of nine viral diseases of calla lily.

1. Dasheen mosaic virus (DsMV)
2. Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV)
3. Calla lily latent virus (CLLV)
4. Konjak mosaic virus (KoMV)
5. Zantedeschia mils mosaic virus (ZaMMV)
6. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)
7. Carnation mottle virus (CarMV)
8. Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV)
9. Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV)

Propagation of virus-free calla lily seedlings tissue culture techniques (top row) and indexing of different tissues for the presence of viruses (bottom row).

Techniques for adjusting the production period of wax-apples. (A). Shading by net-covering of plants, (B). Girdling at the base of the tree trunk, (C). Flooding of wax-apple orchard, and (D). Root pruning.

Establishment of consumer-oriented systematic industry-research cooperation

    The TARI stated that the principal content of the MOU included items of cooperation such as variety pre-production, promotion, and licensing. Through the consumption database of 7-ELEVEN's retailing channels around the island, TARI would be able to analyze consumers’ needs and preferences in order to adjust or enhance its agricultural R&D, as well as to guide producers to integrate production planning, select crop variety, upgrade cultivation technology, improve field management system, and strengthen agricultural products processing and distribution, so that the delicious, safe, and high quality agricultural products could be safely enjoyed by consumers.

    The TARI pointed out that 7-ELEVEN is a well-established large retailing channel, and in recent years, it has been actively utilizing local agricultural products to establish supplying chains for various agro-products which boosted the development of relevant industries. In the future, it would actively get involved in field management system of agricultural products in hopes of introducing high-quality production technology to generate more quality products. In accordance with the aforementioned MOU, both parties would continue to expand items of cooperation based on future needs, including the development of customized Traceable Agricultural Products (TAP) system, agricultural production information system, agro-product safety inspection technology among others. The two parties would form a solid partnership and establish a one-stop management system from variety, production, to dinner table. They aim to create a new consumer-oriented research-industry cooperation model for Taiwan’s agriculture.

Data Source: Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, R.O.C.(Taiwan)

    A technique was developed at TARI to establish optimal environment conditions for the propagation of Phalaenopsis seedlings. This technique involves monitoring carbon dioxide exchange rates in Phalaenopsis seedlings in a multiple-chamber facility and using the data to determine the physiological characteristics of each variety of Phalaenopsis seedling. The technique allows researchers to determine the optimal conditions for seedling growth for each Phalaenopsis variety, thus, providing Phalaenopsis growers with improved technical services and greater customer satisfaction.

The facility for testing physiological characteristics of Phalaenopsis seedlings (left) and
the data collected from the test showing differences in growth response of Phalaenopsis varieties (right).

A Technique for the Inhibition of Spike Formation in Phalaenopsis during Winter

    To prevent over supply of Phalaenopsis, heating is normally used to inhibit spiking of Phalaenopsis plants in the winter. However, studies at TARI have shown that heavy shading is a low-cost alternative with a similar ability to inhibit spike formation in Phalaenopsis plants and, thus, can be used to replace the traditional heating methods to reduce costs in commercial Phalaenopsis orchid production operations.

A greenhouse with shading treatment for the prevention of spike formation of Phalaenopsis plants in winter.

Agricultural Productivity 4.0 to resolve the sector’s challenges: premier
          Data Source: Department of Information Services, Executive Yuan

    A method for year-round rearing of hoverflies was developed at TARI. Thus, Hoverflies can be released year-round as pollinator for production of crops, such as cabbages, strawberries, melons, and fruit trees. In addition, the offspring of these reared adult syrphid flies used act as effective predators on aphids feeding on the crops.

    Traditionally, eggs of the Rice Moth Corcyra cephalonica have been used as a food source for the mass rearing of green lacewings, but this has proven expensive. To reduce production costs, TARI developed a technique using artificial eggs in microcapsules to replace Corcyra cephalonica eggs as a food source for mass rearing green lacewings. This technique, accompanied by improvements in storage and delivery methods, means that green lacewings can be produced for practical application in the field as biocontrol agents of a wide variety of soft-bodied insect pests.

 Plant treatment

Figure 1: Discontinuing watering for 2-4 weeks can reduce plant decay after transportation.

Appropriate transportation conditions and control

(1) Temperature and relative humidity

Figure 2: The conditions should be 18°C-20°C with an 85% relative humidity. Containers must be selected an loaded carefully.

(2) Packaging

Figure 3: Trailers are an effective packing method.

Figure 4: Boxes with ventilation in the top and bottom facilitate air flow in the container and reduce the relative humidity inside the box.

(3) Precooling

Figure 5: Precooling is beneficial when a carton box is used.

Rates of Green House Gases emission from Various Agricultural Sectors

Rice Growing Period and Methane Flux

Investigation of Heavy Metal Farmland

The Cu and Zn Contend of Topsoil by Livestock Manure Application

Cd Patial Distribution of contaminated Farmland

Investigation of Groundwater Quality in Agricultural Areas

Spatial Distribution of NH⁴⁺, NO^3- and As in Groundwater

Related Videos

April 8-11, 2015

Location

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Website

http://www.2015ga3.org/

Contact

Taiwan Society for Horticultural Science
Address: No.70, Muchang, Sin-Hua District, Tainan City 712, Taiwan

Wen-Li Lee, Ph.D.
Head and Associate Horticulturist
Department of Tropical Fruit Trees, Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch, TARI
Phone:+886-7-7310191 ext 801
Email: leewenli@fthes-tari.gov.tw

Kuei-Ju Mai
Secretary of Head in Tropical Fruit Trees Department
Phone: +886-7-7310191 ext 814
Email: leewenli002@fthes-tari.gov.tw

Seven virus-indexing reagents developed at TARI for the screening of orchid seedlings.

• Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV)
• Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV)
• Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV)
• Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)
• Carnation mottle virus (CarMoV)
• Orchid fleck virus (OFV)
• Potyvirus (廣效性抗體)

    To ensure fresh produce is free from pesticide contamination, a network was established across Taiwan for the RBPR on fresh produce at production sites, wholesale markets and supermarkets. In 2012 for instance, 780,000 shipments of fresh produce (vegetables and fruits) were screened for pesticide contaminants at 359 inspection stations in the three tiers described below.

1^st tier of RBPR:

    Inspection of vegetables and fruits at farmer’s associations, where the freshly harvested produce is gathered and processed for marketing. In 2012, 267,000 shipments of fresh produce were inspected at 130 inspection stations.

2^nd tier of RBPR:

    Inspection of vegetables and fruits at wholesale markets and supermarket chains. In 2012, 243,000 shipments of fresh produce were inspected at 32 inspection stations.

3^rd tier of RBPR:

    Inspection of vegetables and fruits distributed to supermarkets, agri-businesses companies, the food industry, student lunch programs, military food supplies, group dining programs, private food companies, fast food chain stores and other retail outlets. In 2012, 274,000 shipments of fresh produce were inspected at 197 inspection stations.

International cooperation on the RBPR program

    Through international cooperation, the technology of RBPR developed at TARI has been extended to neighboring countries including:

• Vietnam: The Sub-Institute of Agriculture Engineering and the Post-Harvest Technology Institute (PHTI) in Ho Chi Minh City have applied the enzyme screening kit developed at TARI to survey pesticide residues on fresh produce since 1997, receiving the National Food Safety Award for their efforts in 2003.
• Republic of Korea: Using the enzyme screening kit developed at TARI, the NACF of South Korea established more than two hundred stations for inspection of pesticide residues on fresh produce for consumers and military food supplies. This pesticide screening kit was also used in other organizations such as the KFDA.
• Central America: The Republic of Panama introduced RBPR program in 2004 and successfully implemented RBPR as an official protocol for screening fresh produce in a nation-wide program. The nation of Belize introduced the RBPR program in 2011 as a tool to monitor pesticide residues on fresh produce.

    A bioassay technique was developed at TARI for the rapid detection of pesticide residues, organophosphates and carbamates on agricultural produce. The technique was based on the theory that the insecticide organophosphates (OPs) and carbamates (Carbs) can block the action of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), in this case extracted from houseflies. If the sample contains pesticide residues, OPs or Carbs, the housefly AChE is unable to successfully break down the color-indicator matrix (containing Acetylthiocholine iodine and 5,5´-Dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid)).

Reagents (left) and instruments (right) for testing organophosphate and carbamate residues on agricultural produce.

Results of testing agricultural produce for pesticide residues, organophosphates and carbamates.

Detection of pyrethroid insecticides by immunoassays

    A competitive ELISA test was developed for the detection of pyrethroid insecticides. The antibody used in the ELISA test was isolated from animals immunized with pyrethroid hapten conjugates.

Procedure for detection of pyrethroid insecticides: a). sample extraction and b). ELISA test for pyrethroid insecticides.

Sep 22-26, 2014

    Rice Tainong No. 24 is the first of its kind received its plant variety rights in Taiwan. And this high-yielding variety will soon be transferred to specialized production areas designed for purple glutinous rice to uphold its quality standards and to increase farmers’ incomes.

    In 2002, Floriculture Research Center of Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) initiated Cymbidium hybrid breeding endeavor to develop varieties with elegant large flowers that bloom during the Lunar New Year without flower-bud blasting. Up to now there are a good number of newly developed elite varieties. For example, variety TARI001 with bright colored and beautiful flower type came first at the 2010 Taiwan International Orchid Show; variety TARI1003 with multiple stalks and bright flower color won the first award at the 2011 Taiwan International Orchid Show; Cymbidium Tariflor Eagle with beautiful pale green pendent multiple flowers secured the third place at the 2013 Taiwan International Orchid Show; and variety “Great Luck” with bright beautiful large flowers was honored with the first prize for Division D (other orchids) of the 2014 Taiwan International Orchid Show.

    Toward this direction, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute has developed a Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (CAPS) technique that greatly increased the efficiency of hybrid seed purity testing of heat tolerant cauliflower varieties. This newly developed CAPS technique can complete the purity test within two weeks. Compared with the conventional grow-out test that takes eight weeks, it not only saves time but also improves the efficiency with up to 96% accuracy.

    Compared to random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) or simple sequence repeats (SSR), CAPS is a low-cost and robust PCR-based assay that reliably distinguishes between SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) alleles with high reproducibility, and holds great promise for genotyping. Experimental results reveal that three primer pairs for CAPS are adequate to carry out purity tests for more than 15 hybrids. The technology has been transferred to two seed companies in Taiwan, and is certain to increase the quality, value and international competitiveness of Taiwan’s vegetable seeds.

    Cucumber is an important vegetable in Taiwan. The crop is often afflicted with powdery mildew, Phytophthora blight, downy mildew, Fusarium wilt, anthracnose, aphids, whiteflies, melon fly, mites and moths. To control these diseases and pests, the farmers often use a great deal of synthetic pesticides, especially for the control of powdery mildew and whiteflies. But a little carelessness on the use of synthetic pesticides to control these diseases and pests could amount to the serious food safety issue of pesticide residues. For this reason, TARI has developed a cost-effective and eco-friendly integrated crop management system that incorporates the use of healthy seedlings, field cleaning, and continuous pest monitoring, as well as the application of non-pesticide crop protection formulations that are developed by TARI researchers.

    The aforesaid system consists of: 1) using well-built screen houses to keep out large-sized insect pests such as melon flies, armyworms, cucumber moths, etc.; 2) carrying out comprehensive field cleaning to remove weeds and all fallen branches, leaves, flowers and fruits to avoid them becoming a breeding ground for diseases and pests; 3) implementing weekly pest monitoring to assess the type, extent and intensity of disease and pest occurrence so as to select and adjust the best timing and methods to control diseases and pests; and 4) employing horticultural oil formulations for effective insect control in seedlings and plants after transplanting, and to augment the effect of non-pesticide crop protection formulations.

    Regarding the non-pesticide crop protection formulations to control diseases after transplanting, the weekly applications of neutralized potassium hydroxide/phosphorous acid solution for three weeks are effective to control Phytophora blight and downy mildew; the application of 200-300 fold emulsified sunflower oil at the initial stage of the disease incidence is effective to control powdery mildew; and lime sulfur is used to control anthracnose. For insect control, the application of 200-400 fold horticultural oil formulation is effective to control various small insects.

    Cordyceps militaris (an entomopathogenic fungus), also known as North Cordyceps, is one of type species of the genus Cordyceps belonging to the class Ascomycetes. It is native to Northeast China and has been long used as a nourishing tonic there. According to a considerable number of scientific literatures, the spectrum of functional activities of C. militaris is far larger than Cordyceps sinensis—another well-known but hard-to-get species. Therefore, C. militaris has been used as the substitute for C. sinensis in tonic food and also marketed as a medicine in North China.

    C. militaris possesses many kinds of health-promoting components. Among them, cordycepin (or 3'-deoxyadenosine) is most valuable as a nucleoside antibiotic. In addition, it also contains mannitol, ergosterol, polysaccharides, etc. It is becoming one of the important medicinal mushrooms in Taiwan.

    TARI's R&D efforts in mass production of C. militaris entails establishment of viability assay and optimum preservation conditions to increase fungal viability, optimization of liquid culture medium, growing temperature and humidity, and modulation protocol, and treatments of different light spectra to increase the primordia formation and to accelerate color change in primordia. An integration of the aforesaid techniques can produce C. militaris  in 60 days with the rate of good-quality fruiting bodies exceeding 95%, which is a significant feat.

    The purple color in the cauliflower floret/curd is due to the presence of anthocyanins, which belong to a group of strong antioxidants. The major edible floret part is also rich in vitamin C, and provides a fair amount of dietary fiber, vitamin A, B vitamins, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and selenium. Purple cauliflower is thought to have originated in the Northeast Mediterranean area. And the introduced varieties from this area are heat sensitive with a shorter growth duration. High temperatures in tropical and sub-tropical Taiwan usually cause the introduced purple cauliflower varieties to discolor and to develop leaf-like bracts between the segments of the curd, making cauliflowers unmarketable.

    The newly unveiled "Tainong No. 1" purple cauliflower is suitable for Taiwan's climate and weather. This erect-type cauliflower is resistant to lodging and does not form leaf-like bracts. It takes 55-65 days to mature, which is 10-20 days earlier than the conventional cauliflower varieties. And its concentrated harvest period favors harvesting practices for an efficient supply management. Tainong No. 1 purple cauliflower belongs to a loose-curd, green-stalked type, which is favored by most consumers in Taiwan, and has densely packed flower buds. It has good taste quality and high anthocyanin content. And its crunchy texture is a welcome addition to a healthy salad or a tasty stir-fry.

    Currently for the whole in-shell dried fruit, when they are dried with the conventional means the rind turns brown and brittle. This renders the in-shell dried lychee fruit not so appealing for consumers. To overcome this drawback, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute has recently developed an innovative in-shell drying technology that preserves the reddish rind color, taste and aroma of the fresh fruit of cultivar “Black Leaf”, a major lychee cultivar in Taiwan. The whole in-shell dried fruit produced with this new processing technology can be kept for six months under ambient temperature or one year under controlled storing conditions.

    This new technology increases the time margins of the window of marketing opportunities for the whole in-shell dried lychee fruit. And the technology is now in the process of technology transfer and licensing for commercial applications. A large-scale production of in-shell dried lychees by employing this technology in the future is expected to ease the glut and raise the prices of Taiwan fresh lychees during the peak season. Also it will add value to lychee, increase consumption volume in the domestic market, and create export potential of this delicious sub-tropical fruit.

    Through close control of the environment in the protective structures such as greenhouses, net houses, etc., growers could overcome challenges such as impacts of climate change, extreme weather elements, limited space, and high energy prices, while stabilizing yields and improving quality. Production of tomatoes, peppers and melons under protective structures has many additional benefits for growers, consumers and society as a whole. In addition to optimizing temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity and carbon dioxide concentration, and the moisture, nutrient content and electrical conductivity of growth media, the system improves efficient monitoring and control of diseases and pests, thus the products are less likely to become contaminated with pesticide residues and other food=borne pathogens. The system has been introduced to cherry tomato and sweet pepper growers in December 2012. And the event has received considerable compliments and feedbacks for improvement.

    The very monitoring system is equipped with a touch-screen computer and a webcam to capture real-time images in the greenhouse and with sensing devices to collect environmental data, uses remote computer, smart phone or tablet PC to access the acquired data, and employs IO modules and software to monitor and automatically control the various equipment to maintain pre-set optimal temperature, humidity, and light intensity in the greenhouse suitable for plant growth and development. All the data can be exported from touch-screen computer to Excel spreadsheets and stored, or transmitted to remote computer for the specialists to track the conditions of the greenhouse.

    Sweet potatoes are susceptible to soft rot and black rot caused by fungi during the postharvest storage period and during shipping. When first infected, circular black spots or lesions appear on the surface. Two to three days later, the affected and adjacent tissues start to turn watery rot and produce characteristic foul odor. The odor evidently will deter consumers from consuming the rotten storage roots, thus there should be no health concern.

    The black spots that appear on the surface of storage roots can be caused by bruises or wounds. Bruises would cause secretion of latex rich in polyphenols, which turn the bruises into black spots when exposed to the air, and wounds would cause formation of wound tissues that turn black during the healing process. In either case, the black spots pose no risks to human health.

    Furthermore, after the storage roots are dug, the processors usually cure them to heal the cut wounds and improve storability. The newly dug out storage roots are usually cured by storing in a warm, humid room for four to ten days. A temperature of 29-30°C and a relative humidity of 90-95% in the storage room are ideal for wound tissue formation to prevent disease infection and excessive water loss. In this case, the black spots formed by the cured wounds are harmless for human consumption either.

    Besides starches, sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and beta-carotene, while having moderate contents of other micronutrients. And sweet potatoes are considered a health promoting alkaline food. In recent years, the Council of Agriculture (COA) is actively implementing the certification program of Taiwan’s agricultural products. In this connection, the production and marketing groups of sweet potato in the country are proactive in the adoption of the guidelines of good agricultural practices and traceability outlined by COA. This not only protects the health of consumers, but also reduces financial risks involved in production and marketing.

    The achievement exhibition included water-saving irrigation techniques, packaging and storage for shipping, new techniques to control diseases and pests, transfer and licensing of new varieties, and introductions of new varieties of Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, cut flowers, pot plants, flowering plants and bulb flowers; and a variety of innovative technologies. In total there were 63 items on display. Major flower varieties on display were of Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Anthurium, Eustoma, chrysanthemum, Aglaonema and Malabar chestnut, as well as other ornamental plants of local importance or as regional specialty crops.