The South Chungcheong Agricultural Technology Institute develops technology for predicting and controlling the occurrence of brown marmorated stink bugs.

(Hongseong=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Ju-hyeong = The Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Service announced on the 14th that it has built a predictive model for brown planthopper occurrence and developed eco-friendly control technology. The brown planthopper is a pest that sucks the sap from the lower parts of rice leaves and stems, both as adults and nymphs, causing growth disorders and whitehead symptoms in rice. The provincial agricultural research and extension service identified the peak activity period of the brown planthopper using accumulated effective temperature to predict the optimal timing for control and also confirmed the luring effect using white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Furthermore, it was found that some plant-derived oils, such as mint and lemongrass, significantly repel brown planthoppers, confirming the possibility of developing repellent-based control technology in the future. Researcher Park Hanna from the Agricultural Environment Research Division of the provincial agricultural research and extension service said, "We have scientifically clarified the activity characteristics of the brown planthopper and established a basis for deriving the optimal control timing, which can provide practical help in reducing damage to farms." coolee@yna.co.kr