Biocontrol fungi help curb RSSI in Negros fields

PEST OUTBREAK Red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) are seen infesting sugarcane plants in a farm in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, as the pest outbreak continues to affect more than 32 percent of the province’s sugarcane fields. —SRA PHOTO BACOLOD CITY—Biocontrol materials produced by the provincial government of Negros Occidental have shown positive results against the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) in treated sugarcane fields. Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said field observations and initial laboratory tests confirmed the presence and effectiveness of the province-produced biological controls, two months after the creation of the provincial task force against RSSI. Field samples collected from sugarcane farms in Caliban, Murcia, showed RSSI cadavers infected with entomopathogenic fungi, with visible fungal spores growing on the dead insects, Diaz said in an advisory on Saturday. Article continues after this advertisement The biocontrol materials were first applied in the fields on Aug. 14. Three weeks after the application, the beneficial fungi had become established in the fields and were affecting RSSI populations, he said. Science-based efforts Diaz said the preliminary field and laboratory findings support the province’s continuing science-based efforts to contain the spread of the pest and protect Negros Occidental’s sugarcane industry. The provincial government, led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, continues to develop and distribute biocontrol materials while expanding its production capacity, Diaz said. —CARLA P. GOMEZ INQ Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.