The 44th TARF Public Lecture on eco-friendly pest control methods was held at Ishigaki City, Okinawa Pref. on March 30, 2018. This public lecture has been organized since 2007 with the aim of introducing the research activities of TARF in a way that the general public could easily understand, and to get feedback from local residents on the needs and expectations with implications in daily life.

The public lecture this year focused on pest control methods that do not involve the use of agrochemicals with explanations of various pest control methods and their characteristics, and comprehensive control methods that combine them as well as basic knowledge for pest control. In addition, the research activities of TARF on pest control in Thailand were introduced through explanations such as sugarcane white leaf disease and its vector insects, and development of technology for controlling sugarcane white leaf disease based on the weakness of pests. In addition to agricultural chemicals as a chemical method, the use of comprehensive control that optimally combines cultivating methods and biological methods is also expected from the viewpoint of environmental conservation.

The event was reported in the Okinawa Times (http://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/238993).