Farmers advised on management options v. rice pests
ROXAS CITY – The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Capiz has recommended management options to prevent or control pest infestation in rice plantations.
Provincial Agriculturist Sylvia Dela Cruz said the infestation of brown plant hopper, locally known as “kaki nga wayawaya,” could be managed by draining the field for three to four days during the infestation and practicing split application of nitrogen during the crop growth.
“Nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in small quantities and the use of leaf color chart is also recommended,” she said.
Other options include intensified weeding or practicing clean culture to reduce hopper density, plowing down rice stubbles, rations and grassy weeds after harvest to eliminate virus sources in rice and weeds, and increasing use of potassium to reduce hopper susceptibility.
She said the farmers should also plant early maturing and moderately resistant varieties, avoid calendar spraying of inappropriate insecticide to conserve beneficial organisms, and use light traps to trap adult hoppers but seedbed must be far from light sources.
De la Cruz also recommended to farmers to raise the level of irrigation water periodically to drown hopper eggs, practice crop rotation, and avoid thick crop stand.
“Growing of no more than two rice crops per year reduces continuous breeding sites for hoppers,” she said.
De la Cruz said that favorable conditions and field activities for the insect pest to easily infest rice crops include high nitrogen application and planting of susceptible varieties.
“Excessive and misuse of insecticides causes outbreaks of hopperburn and/or virus diseases,” she said, pointing out that hopperburn occurs more rapidly during cloudy weather.
As of September 22, the brown planthopper had already affected 6,562 hectares of ricefields while the area damaged reached 3,581.55 hectares.
De la Cruz said 11 percent of the total area planted to rice in Capiz is already destroyed.*PIA
