Sugarcane pests spread to 3,394 hectares of Visayas plantations

A PEST infestation in Visayas sugar plantations has been reported on 3,394 hectares (ha) as of Aug. 11, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

On Aug. 1, the area affected by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) had been 3,264 ha, it said.

Some 1,923 farmers were affected by the infestation of RSSI, which has the potential to reduce sugar content in cane by 50%, the SRA told BusinessWorld.

It said the SRA is still “awaiting a permit to use” from the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority before procuring certain pesticides for sugar cane, after the province of Negros Occidental declared a state of calamity in mid-July.

RSSI was detected in 3,290 ha of Negros Occidental sugar land.

It was followed by Iloilo (59.69 ha), Capiz (25.1 ha), Leyte (12.17 ha), and Negros Oriental (7.6 ha).

SRA researchers were conducting field studies on mass producing pathogenic fungi to counter RSSI.

The fungi reduce the reproductive capacity of the targeted organism. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza