Ben Madilynn
THE fall armyworm infestation of corn fields in Negros Oriental has been contained as some farmers have begun harvesting their produce, the Department of Agriculture – Provincial Agriculture Technological Coordinating Office (DA-PATCO) said.
Related story: Fall armyworms infestation spread to 22 LGUs in NegOr
Mary Ronvil Aba, DA-PATCO information officer-designate, said in an interview Wednesday that the spread of fall armyworms in corn fields has slowed down in recent weeks after measures to counter the infestation were implemented.
Agriculture officials also attributed the decline to armyworms that could no longer find food since the surviving corn had grown to the harvest stage.
The Regional Crop Protection Center and Regulatory Division of the regional agriculture office in Cebu City inspected corn fields in Bindoy, Manjuyod, Mabinay, Pamplona, Sta. Catalina, and Bayawan City last week, she said.
“They saw less infestation of fall armyworms as most of the corn has already matured,” Aba said in mixed English and Cebuano.
Fall armyworms usually attack the stalks of young corn plants as their food source.
Aba said some farmers have recovered and are harvesting their yield.
The infestations were countered by spraying pesticides and hand-picking the worms.
An initial report received by the DA-PATCO as of the end of August showed an insignificant percentage of infestation in the 13 hectares of corn fields inspected.
Most of these corn fields, planted in late May and early June, are in their maturity stage and ready for harvest, with some of them in the reproductive stage, meaning they survived the fall armyworms attack and are recovering, Aba explained.
Some areas have an infestation of as low as 10.66 percent severity in infestation, the report said.
The DA-PATCO is still awaiting and consolidating other reports from various local government units. (PNA)
