Snapshots of Xinjiang's agricultural elite

By Fan Junmei: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, October 18, 2019

Guo Wenchao is an authority on the control of invasive alien species affecting crops. [Photo by Fan Junmei / China.org.cn]

Working in the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 53-year-old Guo Wenchao is an authority on the control of invasive alien species affecting crops.

Leptinotarsa decemlineata, or the Colorado potato beetle, poses a severe threat to China's potato produce. The beetle is native to North America and now has a wide distribution across Europe and Asia. Guo has endeavored to develop methods to curb its further spread. Since his work in 1993, he has managed to prevent it from reaching China's inland provinces.

Guo has found the reasons why the population of the beetle and other invasive alien pests such as Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus and Bemisia tabaci exploded in Xinjiang's desert oasis and has figured out effective ways to reduce their harm and curb their spread.

According to Guo, China consumes the most pesticides in the world. "We have to reduce our pesticide consumption in order to prevent the pests from becoming more resistant to them," said Guo.

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