Farmer's warned vs. pests, diseases due to erratic weather

CEBU CITY -- The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) on Friday said farmers need to monitor pest and diseases infestation now that the region is experiencing varying weather conditions - from dry to cold.

Christopher Paran, entomologist of the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) of DA-7, said crop damage could be avoided through monitoring of presence of pests and diseases. The DA-7 recommended to maintain proper farm cultural management and mechanical practices and the reactivation of the “Bantay Peste Volunteer Brigade”. “The change in weather conditions from dry to cold season and vice versa is very much favorable to pests and diseases occurrence,” said Paran in a statement posted on Facebook. Paran said early detection of pests and diseases is needed to prevent infestation and outbreak. “Infestation may cause big damages to the farms which results to income loss for the farmers,” he said. RCPC chief Bienvenido Acabal, Jr. said pest and diseases that will likely to occur from January to March this year are rice black bug (RBB), rodents, rice stem borer, rice tungro virus and bacterial leaf blight. He said farmers should be vigilant in their monitoring. RBB is now spotted in Carcar and part of Negros Oriental while other pests have no occurrence yet, he said. He said that they also received report of infestation of army worm and rice grain bug (RGB) in Balamban and Carcar City, respectively. However, the infestation is not alarming, he added. The low infestation monitored in Balamban has already been contained through immediate spraying of insecticide by the local government unit and the regional office, the entomologist of RCPC said. (PNA)