The 3,300-square-meter farm in Houpi township is equipped with two virus detection and examination systems -- ELISA and biochip technology -- a Taisugar official said.

"It marks the first time in Taiwan that virus detection and examination systems have been integrated into a seedling culture farm's quality control mechanism," said the official.

The Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, known as ELISA, is a biochemical technique used mainly in immunology to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen in a sample. ELISA is used as a diagnostic tool in medicine and plant pathology, as well as a quality control check in various industries.

According to the official, the introduction of biochip technology and the ELISA examination system will allow effective control of four major common orchid viruses -- Cymbidium mosaic virus, Odontoglossum ringspot virus, Capsicum chlorosis viru, and Cucumber mosaic virus.

The new farm also houses a orchid virus laboratory that will offer virus testing and screening services for other local orchid farmers, the official added.

Orchids are one of Taiwan's most important horticultural export items and orchid propagation is a multi-million dollar industry.

Among the various floral species cultivated commercially in Taiwan, orchid farms cover about 592 hectares, but their combined annual production value amounts to NT$2.874 billion, representing a unit production value of NT$4.86 million per hectare and indicating that orchids are a high-yielding cash crop, according to latest statistics released by the Council of Agriculture (COA).

In comparison, butterfly orchids occupy an even more center-stage role in terms of economic advantage, a COA official said.

Butterfly orchids account for only 33.8 percent of the total orchids farmed, but export value accounts for 75.2 percent of the total orchid production value.

These figures signify the importance of breeding new butterfly orchid cultivars and developing new cultivation technologies, the official said.

Through years of strenuous efforts, Taiwan has managed to develop greenhouses that suit Taiwan's climatic conditions and has established a cultivation system that can ensure perennial blooming of orchids, the official noted.

While local butterfly orchid production acreages and values have continued to increase, with Japan and the United States serving as the principal export outlets, the official said locally produced orchids have been facing ever fiercer competition from Holland, China and Southeast Asia in recent years.

Against this backdrop, the official went on, continued quality improvement and upgrading of productivity has become very important in the efforts to sustain Taiwan's butterfly orchid industry.

Among others, the official said the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been introduced to local butterfly orchid production management as part of efforts to raise productivity.

(By Sofia Wu)