mb.com.ph, August 13, 2010, 2:46pm

Experts from the Department of Agriculture (DA) recommend spraying of insecticides as one of the measures to control the spread of armyworms that have been attacking farms in Batangas, Cavite and Quezon.

Wilma Cuaterno, chief of Crop Protection Division of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Cecille Manzanilla, chief of the DA-4A Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC), said armyworms may be controlled by applying recommended insecticides such as Carbaryl and Pyrethroids.

“The chemicals should be sprayed directly to the armyworms or to the vegetation where the pests are visible during late afternoons when they are most active,” Cuaterno and Manzanilla said.

The two experts urge extension workers and farmers to follow proper procedures in the application of recommended chemicals as indicated in their labels. They also advise farmers to always wear protective gears during insecticide application.

To control armyworms in the affected areas, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has initially ordered the immediate distribution of P900,000-worth of knapsack sprayers and recommended insecticides in coordination with local government officials and agriculture technicians.

Secretary Alcala instructed Undersecretary Joel Rudinas and Assistant Secretary Dennis Araullo to monitor the infestations. He also instructed the DA Regional Field Units in Regions IV-A (CALABARZON) and III (Central Luzon) and the BPI to coordinate closely with the respective provincial and municipal governments, particularly in provinces where armyworm infestations were reported.

Armyworms are nocturnal moth larvae that travel in multitudes, destroying any kind of vegetation including grass and grain in their path. One egg mass in equivalent to 100 to 300 eggs, which turn into voracious defoliators once hatched. They are most destructive during their larval stage, which lasts 14 to 24 days, Manzanilla said.

Aside from chemical spray, Cuaterno and Manzanilla also recommend cutting of vegetation and digging of shallow ditches to control armyworms.

Since the initial attack of armyworms in the first district of Batangas which was reported early July, the DA through the BPI and RCPC has been conducting monitoring and assessment activities to control further damage.

The BPI has been conducting a series of seminars since second quarter of 2009 until first quarter of 2010 to enjoin regional, provincial and municipal agriculturists, crop protection specialists and technicians, and integrated pest management farmer-cooperators to prepare for the occurrence of pests and diseases as a result of the prolonged dry spell due to El Niño phenomenon. Such pests include armyworms, cutworms, locusts, field rats, and crop diseases such as tungro and bacterial leaf blight.

Source: Experts tell how to control armyworms