• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The infestation of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) has expanded to 2,249 hectares of sugarcane fields across Negros and Panay, latest report from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showed.
Negros Occidental remains the hardest-hit area.
As of June 5, the spread of RSSI affected 1,108 farmers in 195 barangays of 41 local government units in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Iloilo and Capiz.
The SRA report indicated that Bago City in Negros Occidental recorded the widest damage at 406.02 hectares.
Smaller but expanding infestations were also reported in Negros Oriental, Iloilo and Capiz, it added.
As part of the SRA’s ongoing initiative to combat RSSI, a drone application operation was effectively carried out on June 11 at Hacienda Agho in Barangay Camandag, La Castellana, where 226.36 hectares of sugarcane plantations were hit by infestation.
By utilizing aerial spraying tools and skilled personnel, the SRA said it seeks to deliver a swift, efficient and precise application of control measures, thereby reducing pest populations, minimizing crop damage and improving sugarcane productivity in affected areas while reducing harm to existing sugarcane crops.
The SRA warned that RSSI poses a serious threat to the sugar industry, as infestations can significantly reduce sugar production by lowering the sugar content of sugarcane by as much as 50 percent.
To complement its spraying operations, the agency has also intensified the mass production of entomopathogenic fungi, an organic biological control agent used to suppress the pest population.
The program has been ongoing since last year as part of the government’s integrated pest management strategy. | GPB
