Research that the university helped plan was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as one of its “10 Outstanding Topics in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research, 2014”.

The selected research was Development of Flightless Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia Axyridis) and its Application Technology― Strong and Environment-Friendly Ally Born for Controlling Aphids, which Professor Takahisa Miyatake of the Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science (agriculture) took part in planning.

In this research, multicolor Asian lady beetles, the natural enemy of aphids, were effectively used against aphids, which are difficult to exterminate on crops. Among multicolor Asian lady beetles, individuals with a weak ability to fly were selected and established as flightless multicolor Asian lady beetles, which stay on crop plants. It was confirmed that flightless multicolor Asia lady beetles are effective for extended periods, and they may be more useful than existing products as a biological pesticide. At the current time efforts are underway to spread their use for vegetables grown in greenhouse and to register their use for outdoor crops. It is expected that realizing their use for outdoor crops will dramatically reduce the amount of chemical pesticides used in larger areas. Professor Miyatake noted, “Developed with breeding techniques that have been used in agriculture since ancient times, flightless multicolor Asia lady beetles can be expected to be an environment friendly pest control method.” He stated that he wants to contribute to developing better agricultural products.

Technical Manual for Using Flightless Multicolor Asian Lady Beetles (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization)
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/publicity_report/publication/pamphlet/tech-pamph/052628.html

Inquiries regarding the above should be directed to:
Professor Takahisa Miyatake, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science (agriculture)
Tel: +81-86-251-8339