Sohag, Egypt - An inauguration of mass rearing laboratory for the natural enemies to control Fall Armyworm (FAW) at Shendaweel village, Sohag Governorate, was organized as the first laboratory in Egypt specialized in rearing natural enemies to control FAW.

The inauguration celebration was attended by representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Egypt and regional office for Near East and North Africa region and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt (MALR).

This laboratory comes as one of the main elements of the Technical Cooperation Project between FAO and the MALR to reach sustainable solutions to control pests and reduce the use of chemical pesticides to protect the environment, human and animal health.

Fall Armyworm arrived in Egypt from Sudan in 2019 and caused damage to various crops, especially at maize plantation. The new transboundary insect was controlled by conventional methods at the beginning, and then it was shifted to surveillance and mass production of the natural enemies present in the Egyptian environment to control FAW, where biological control considers the best and environmentally friendly approach to control the risk of the spread of this pest.

The opening of the first specialized laboratory to control FAW in Egypt is an important step towards a sustainable approach and the elimination of the use of highly hazard pesticides. FAO has providedall the necessary laboratory equipment to enhance the production and logistical capabilities of various bio-control agents, and MALR has provided all the necessary infrastructure for the operation of the laboratory.

It is worth noting that during a short time of work, the researchers reached to new natural enemies that were recorded for the first time in the Egyptian environment, which are characterized by a high control efficacy of the FAW, such as the parasitoid Telenomus remus and the new type of parasite Trichogramma pretiosum. This event can change the balance of power and allow transfering experience of mass propagation of the effective natural enemies to the various biological enemies ‘production laboratories in Egypt.

It was emphasized that these efforts need more cooperation to help transfer technology to the field and help release of natural enemies at suitable time, which increases its efficacy and not to spray harmful chemical pesticides that kill these biological enemies, which are well known as farmer friends in pest control at the field.

During the opening activities, FAO recommend for adopting the production of biological enemies, whether from the public sector or with the participation of the private sector in this concern, as well as preventing the use of highly hazard pesticides that harm the natural ecological balance.

This certainly, contributes to the sustainable strategic directions of FAO towards the green development of agricultural products and meets FAO new strategy for the four betters: better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life.

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