• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has deployed drones and conducted manual insecticide spraying to curb the spread of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) affecting sugarcane plantations across Negros Island.
SRA Board Member Dave Sanson said the agency began drone-assisted and manual spraying operations last week in several barangays in Isabela, Negros Occidental, as part of efforts to contain the pest infestation.
“We started RSSI drone and manual spraying of insecticide last week in several barangays in Isabela. With the whole of Negros already affected, the spraying will continue in other areas,” Sanson said.
As of May 9, data from the SRA showed that RSSI infestations have affected a total of 1,788.9 hectares of sugarcane plantations across four provinces in the Visayas, impacting 869 farmers.
Negros Occidental recorded the largest area of infestation at 1,645 hectares, followed by Negros Oriental with 75.8 hectares, Iloilo with 45.8 hectares, and Capiz with 22 hectares.
The SRA warned that RSSI infestations can significantly reduce sugar production, 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
