Bodles Research Station director explains capabilities of new bio lab

Acting Principal Research Director for the Research and Development Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Michelle Sherwood, told JIS News that the lab will focus on the use of biological control agents to kill pests that can harm plants.

Left unchecked, pests can cause considerable damage and revenue loss to the agriculture sector.

Biological control involves introducing a natural enemy into the environment of a pest, such as a parasite, predator, or disease organism. If the natural enemy is already present in the environment, it is encouraged to multiply and become more effective in reducing the number of pest organisms.

“We are familiar with the farmer’s friend like the wasp, the ladybird beetle and other insects. With this lab, we’re now able to harness from our natural environment, those bio control agents, which we now can collect for research. We now have an environment to be able to multiply and release them as an additional tool to the farmers,” she said.

Mrs. Sherwood said that biocontrol agents can also have positive implications for the environment.

“Farmers have been using pesticides, which are harmful to the environment and harmful to health. The use of biocontrol agents is environmentally friendly and is also highly effective… in the management of pests in our agricultural sector,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, a greenhouse was also built at Bodles to produce citrus fruit seedlings under the Clean Seed Development Programme.

The programme operates under the 2019 National Seed Policy, which aims to increase the island’s ability to produce all the planting material needed for the entire agriculture sector.

The vision of the policy is to establish a sustainable seed system that ensures a consistent and reliable supply of clean, affordable, and accessible seeds, in support of agricultural production, productivity, food security and biodiversity.

“With this new facility we are now able to produce clean seeds for the citrus industry, which has been negatively impacted by citrus greening disease,” Mrs. Sherwood noted.

“This helps us to supply our nurseries through the citrus unit out of the plant quarantine facility. We have a project with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) where we are producing limes and lemons,” she informed.

Citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB), or yellow dragon disease is one of the most serious citrus plant diseases in the world.

Once a tree is infected, there is no cure. While the disease poses no threat to humans or animals, it has devastated millions of acres of citrus crop worldwide.

Infected trees produce fruits that are green, misshapen and bitter, making them unsuitable for sale as fresh fruit or for juice. Most infected trees die within a few years.

Mrs. Sherwood said with the new greenhouse, clean plant material can be re-entered into the sector.

“Coupled with management practices of the vector, which is called a citrus psyllid, we now have an integrated approach in [handling] the disease. You can have a clean plant, but you also need to have a clean environment to put the plants in. We are recognising that… we’re able to manage not just the plant material but also the vector which causes the disease,” she said.