September 6, 2024

 

Fall armyworm infestation in Negros Oriental, Philippines corn fields contained

The fall armyworm infestation in corn fields across Negros Oriental, Philippines, has been contained, according to the country's Department of Agriculture Provincial Agriculture Technological Coordinating Office (DA-PATCO), Philippine News Agency reported.

 

As a result, some farmers have commenced harvesting their crops.

 

Mary Ronvil Aba, the DA-PATCO information officer-designate, said that the spread of fall armyworms has significantly slowed in recent weeks due to measures taken to combat the infestation. She noted that agriculture officials attribute the decline in armyworm presence to the fact that the remaining corn has reached the harvest stage, leaving the pests with no food source.

 

Last week, the Regional Crop Protection Centre and Regulatory Division of the regional agriculture office in Cebu City conducted inspections of corn fields in Bindoy, Manjuyod, Mabinay, Pamplona, Sta. Catalina, and Bayawan City.

 

"They observed a decrease in the infestation of fall armyworms as most of the corn had already matured," Aba said.

 

Fall armyworms typically target the stalks of young corn plants as a food source, causing significant damage early in the growth process.

 

Aba mentioned that some farmers have managed to recover from the infestations and are now harvesting their crops. The infestation was managed through a combination of pesticide spraying and hand-picking the worms.

 

An initial report from the DA-PATCO at the end of August indicated a low percentage of infestation across 13 hectares of inspected corn fields. Most of these fields, planted in late May and early June, have reached maturity and are ready for harvest. Some fields are in the reproductive stage, showing that they survived the armyworm attacks and are now recovering.

 

The report further detailed that some areas experienced as low as 10.66% severity in infestation. The DA-PATCO is still awaiting additional reports from other local government units to consolidate further data on the situation.

 

-      Philippine News Agency