PROTECTING THE FIELD A farmer sprays his farm with chemicals as rice black bugs have hounded him and other rice farmers in Isabela province since late November. —VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.
LUNA, Isabela, Philippines — The agriculture offices in Isabela province have installed light traps to fend off a massive infestation by rice black bugs that have pestered farmers in 11 towns.
The scourge has affected Cauayan City and the towns of Cabatuan, Aurora, Burgos, San Manuel, San Mateo, Luna, Quirino, Alicia, San Manuel, and Mallig.
The black bugs could significantly reduce rice yield by 15 percent to 23 percent should the insects’ population increase by a ratio of 10 bugs for each hill of rice plants, said Marvin Luis, focal person for the regional rice program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Cagayan Valley.
Farm technicians have tracked the insects in the village of Sto. Domingo and nearby areas of Luna where the traps were installed, said municipal agriculturist Nestor Labog in a statement.
Entomologists said the bugs would emerge during a full moon. The traps installed at the start of December would be checked regularly to determine if the insects remained in the vicinity.
In an earlier interview, Narciso Edillo, DA Cagayan Valley director, said the farms damaged by the pests were less than 50 hectares because many farmers had just started planting their fields.
“[The bugs] could attack the rice plant at any stage, from vegetative, reproductive to maturity, but our farmers are lucky because few have [just] started planting,” Edillo said.