With the viral affliction known as black streaked dwarf disease noted to be worsening as weather conditions change with global warming, thousands of hectares of rice, maize and even sorghum have been ruined in countries like Âu Lạc (Vietnam) and China.

However, Hứa Quyết Chiến, an agriculture engineer from Âu Lạc, recently devised a method for protecting crops from this disease. Moreover, his solution has been formulated to be effective without harming the carrier insect, the white back plant hopper.

Following years of research, Mr. Hứa realized that the more pesticides were used on crops, the more the insects became immune, and the more endangered the crops would become, therefore rendering the chemical approach futile in the long run.

While inspecting infected fields in the northern provinces of Hải Dương, Thái Bình, and Hưng Yên, Mr. Hứa subsequently discovered that by injecting plants with salicylic acid, a compound found in the pain reliever aspirin which helps them naturally resist disease, the plants were protected and the insects also not harmed.

His biological product, called Enxin 4.5, has in fact been shown to help prevent 11 harmful insect diseases in rice plants and vegetables and is already being sought after in Bulgaria following successful trials there. With Enxin 4.5 helping save the rice fields of many local farmers who would otherwise have to uproot entire paddies to be rid of disease, Âu Lạc's Science and Technology and Agriculture and Rural Development Ministries recently awarded Mr. Hứa more than US$200,000 to expand its application.

Our sincere accolades, Mr. Hứa Quyết Chiến, for your careful work in developing this safe and practical method to preserve valued food crops. May your endeavors inspire many more such benevolent products that protect the lives of other beings as well as our own health.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/science-technology/4585/cure-found-for-black-streak-dwarf-disease-
by-a-vietnamese-scientist.html
http://ricehoppers.net/2010/06/new-rice-virus-disease-spreading-in-china/,
https://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=6154&id_region=30&id_category=&id_crop=7