Army worms threatening Pangasinan rice fields

By Liezle Basa Inigo

STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan – Destructive army worms have invaded farmlands in the province which has added to the woes and fears of farmers already reeling from the massive flooding spawned by heavy rains in the past weeks.

Reports showed in Banitwon, where 4,200 hectares of the town’s 4,500 hectares of rice fields were affected by flooding, the remaining 300 hectares are now at the mercy of army worms.

Dr. Gilbert Rabara, officer-in-charge of the Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center here said the army worms are now threatening rice fields in Pangasinan which prompted farmers to call for urgent action and assistance from the Department of Agriculture.

“Sa parte ngBani at Bayambang mayroon ng tig 10 na ektarya ang nasirang army worms habang sa Burgos naman ay limang ektarya at nadadagdagan pa ng mga report mulasa Eastern naapektado na rin silang army worms,(In Bani, 10 hectres have already been damaged by the army worms, and another five hectares in Burgos; there are also similar reports in the eastern part of the province),” Rabara said.

Rabara described army worms, in its juvenile stage to be smooth and greenish, eventually turning brownish which fears from one plant to another.

He said the the army worms are nocturnal creatures and attack rice plants at night and can multiply rapidly, able to consume the leaves of rice plants in one hectare of land in just 24 hours.

Rabara advised farmers to spray their rice plants at night.