Biocontrol agents working vs sugarcane pest in Bukidnon
MARAMAG, Bukidnon — More than 65 percent of some 1,500 hectares of sugarcane fields infested by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) in Bukidnon have been treated, as authorities race to save crops before the 2026–2027 sugar milling season opens in November.
The Bukidnon Provincial Task Force, led by Gov. Rogelio Neil Roque and Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III—is using biological control agents and targeted chemicals across six affected areas: Dangcagan, Don Carlos, Kitaotao, Maramag, Quezon, and Valencia City.
The pest was first detected in Barangay East Dalurong, Kitaotao, in June.
Crystal Sugar Milling Co. Inc. (CSCI) deputy resident manager Kishler Pascual confirmed to the Inquirer that field samples show dead insects infected with biocontrol fungi (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae), proving the treatments are working.
CSCI president Pablo Lobregat set up a dedicated biocontrol laboratory prior to the outbreak, enabling swift deployment of fungi, natural predators like lacewings and earwigs, neem oil, and surfactants.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration and the agriculture department’s Regional Crop Protection Center are leading technical evaluations as containment efforts move toward strict prevention and rapid field monitoring. /gsg
