The chitosan compound formulation leads the world in research and development, and can reduce the damage rate from powdery mildew by ninety percent.

Dragon fruit grower Lin Yuxian says his crops suffer greatly from nematode damage, because nematodes bore into the roots of dragon fruit and produce many root galls, seriously affecting water and nutrient uptake and easily leading to plant death; therefore, in recent years he has used chitin to break down nematode egg masses. However, solid chitin on the market costs 8,000 yuan for 10 kg, and even though diluting it increases the number of applications, cost and use efficiency still have to be considered. Hearing this time that a chitin complex has come out, which can not only improve pest control effectiveness but also effectively increase yield, Lin Yuxian says, "I am willing to give it a chance, but I also hope the price will be reasonable after technology transfer." Cheaper than traditional chitin and with good effects. As for how this chitin complex differs from traditional chitin? Chen Junwei, associate researcher at the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, emphasises that in the past, chitin material was made by removing the calcium carbonate, fats and proteins contained in large amounts of shrimp and crab shells through weak acid and weak alkali to become chitin, and then after concentrated alkali and high-temperature treatment it could become chitosan usable on crops. However, Chen points out that because this near-chemical treatment process uses acid and alkali substances, the wastewater it produces still requires substantial resources to treat, which is an even greater burden on the environment. Chen Junwei points out that the chitin complex developed this time by the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station can be called "a world first", mainly made by using shrimp and crab shells plus natural microbial fermentation technology. Although production takes nearly one month, twice as long as the process for ordinary chitin, it does not use chemical raw materials. Besides sharply lowering costs, one litre costs only fifty yuan, and the public need not worry about chemical residue issues. "The key is that the complex works very well." Lin Xueshi, director of the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, points out that this natural remedy has excellent control effects on melon powdery mildew, reducing the damage rate by 90%, and at the same time, through chitin's positive effect on plant disease prevention, melon and fruit crops can increase yield by more than 30%. He also adds that this chitin complex product has already passed animal toxicity tests, confirming it is completely safe, and on crops such as tomatoes, dragon fruit, citrus and papaya it can also significantly reduce disease damage. Therefore it is expected that in the second half of this year, after technology transfer, mass production can begin to supply farmers for use. Read Here: https://www.newsmarket.com.tw/blog/91349/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=newsmarket" class="nc_tweet"> Email