• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Locally produced biological control agents are showing promising results in the fight against the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), with field observations confirming that entomopathogenic fungi are successfully attacking the destructive pest in sugarcane plantations in Negros Occidental.
This was confirmed on Saturday, Sept. 5 by Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II, who said that treated sugarcane fields in Barangay Caliban, Murcia showed RSSI cadavers attacked by entomopathogenic fungi, with visible fungal spores growing on the dead insects.
Farmers in the area received orientation and biological control materials from the province’s Task Force Kontra RSSI on Aug. 14.
Three weeks after the farmers applied the entomopathogenic fungi, the biological control agent remained active in the sugarcane fields and was found attacking RSSI, indicating its potential to suppress pest populations under field conditions.
Diaz described the development as an important step in the province’s science-based campaign to contain RSSI, which has affected thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations and threatened the livelihood of local farmers.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government will sustain its intervention against the sugarcane pest.
“The efforts will continue. We need sustained intervention to protect our sugarcane industry, help our farmers manage the current crop, and prepare for the next cropping season,” Lacson said.
The Task Force Kontra RSSI continued its field operations in other affected areas on Sept. 3.
In Isabela, road spraying activities served 71 farmers and covered a total of 69 hectares across Barangays 5 and Camangcamang. The operation covered 6,350.37 lineal meters.
The Task Force Kontra RSSI distributed biological control agents and conducted orientations for 19 farmer-beneficiaries in Barangay Caningay and Cabia-an, East and West areas of Candoni.
In Victorias City, an orientation and distribution activity was conducted with the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Provincial Veterinary Office and the local government unit in Barangay 10.
Post-spraying monitoring has also yielded encouraging results in Ilog, where a district head reported effective roadside spraying and recovery of sugarcane previously classified under Level 1 infestation.
Around 80 hectares were reported to have regained a full green canopy and improved to Level 0 infestation. | GPB
