Ricefields in Capiz infested by brown plant hoppers
ROXAS CITY – Brown plant hoppers have infested rice plantations in Roxas City and 10 municipalities of Capiz, according to the province’s pest infestation advisory.
Provincial Agriculturist Sylvia Dela Cruz reported to Gov. Victor Tanco that the field situation of the rice farmers and the changes in climatic condition are very favorable to the occurrence of insect pests and diseases.
Dela Cruz said the most prevalent insect pest that attacks the rice plantation is the brown plant hopper commonly known to rice farmers as “kaki nga waya-waya.”
As of September 22, the brown plant hoppers already affected 6,562 hectares while the area damaged reached 3,581.55 hectares.
Elevent percent of the total area planted to rice in Capiz is already damaged.
The damage report was gathered from 10 municipalities, including Dumarao, Panitan, Dumalag, Cuartero, Maayon, Panay, Pontevedra, Sigma, Ivisan and Mambusao, and Roxas City.
Dela Cruz said the affected planted rice are already in the vegetative, reproductive, milking, flowering, tillering and booting, and even in maturing and ripening stages.
Brown plant hopper causes hopperburn and a vector of grassy and ragged stunt diseases more prominently during the early tillering to flowering stages of rice plant.
“It was observed that yield loss can be total if the field is affected by hopperburn at the vegetative stage, but less severe on transplanted rice fields that on direct seeded rice,” Dela Cruz said.*PIA
