• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 98 hectares of red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI)-affected sugarcane fields in Ilog town were treated with biological control agent Metarhizium as the Negros Occidental Provincial Biosecurity Task Force resumed its containment operations on Aug. 4.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the spraying covered validated Level 1 and Level 2 RSSI-infested canefields in Barangays Tabu and Tabionan as part of the provincial government’s continuing efforts to curb the spread of the pest affecting the sugar industry.
In Sitio Mambusao, Barangay Tabu, the operation benefited members of the Black Tigers Farmers Association.
Roadside spraying was conducted from Barangay Tabu up to the Barangay Tapi boundary in Kabankalan City, covering approximately 28 hectares of infested sugarcane fields.
A total of 70 hectares of RSSI-affected canefields were sprayed along roadside areas in Sitio Tabionan, where fields managed by the local farmers association were treated with Metarhizium.
The spraying operations were supported by employees of the provincial government, who conducted site validation and assisted in the application of the biological control agent to ensure the effective implementation of the intervention. | GPB
