ILOILO CITY - The Regional Field Unit (RFU) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) here is now embarking on intense monitoring of possible pests that may affect crops following the heavy rains experienced for around three weeks in Western Visayas.
DA 6 regional executive director Larry Nacionales explained that the condition brought by the rains is very conducive to the growth of micro-organism.
He added that the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) is taking the lead in close coordination with local government units (LGUs) for the conduct of the monitoring to determine what insects are thriving, whether or not they are friendly organisms.
Most common among the insects are the blieht, steam borer, tungru, and even rat infestation.
Rat infestation for the second quarter up to end of July affected 2,680 hectares of rice land in Iloilo, although the heavy rain is expected to at least minimize the damages.
Nacionales said the DA 6 has already release chemical to aid farmers in eliminating the rats.
But he underscored that ensuring the cleanliness of their paddy dikes is one way to prevent them from thriving in rice areas.
source: interaksyon.com
