MORE NEWS, IFUGAO

Chemical inputs blamed for corn pest infestation
By Dexter A. See

ALFONSO LISTA, Ifugao — Experts here said excessive use of chemical insecticides and pesticides and continuous cropping cycle are principal causes of corn pest infestation in this town the past months.

The municipal agriculturist’s office said excessive use of synthetic pesticides and insecticides in corn farms here killed helpful insects which could have stopped the dreaded corn hopper from damaging the vast track of corn farms here.

Earlier, at least 19 hectares of corn farms in the town were totally damaged after the corn hoppers ravaged the plants.

The agriculturist’s office recommended the enactment of a municipal ordinance that would regulate entry and sale of insecticides and pesticides in the town.

Experts said excessive use of chemicals on the corn farms killed beneficial insects which could serve as predators of the destructive pests.

At the same time, they said, the continuous cropping cycle of corn allows the survival of the corn hoppers because they are given a steady supply of food, which is corn stalks.

Their survival for a long period, they said, leads to immediate multiplication of the pests and insects.

To prevent a repeat of the corn infestation, it was recommended that corn plants be grown only twice a year.

In this town, corn plant is grown the whole year, and this provides the pests ample food supply.

Corn hoppers were said to have originated in Mindanao and began attacking plants in Luzon in 2004.

This caused heavy losses to farmers whose corn farms are the major source of income.

Local officials have called on concerned government agencies and the Department of Agriculture to provide subsidies to the affected farmers.

Corn is the major crop of this lowland Cordillera town because corn thrives best in low areas.

The hoppers stick to the corn plant’s stem and suck the nutrients of the plant until it dries up.