• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation of sugarcane fields, which was an issue facing farmers in Negros Occidental, is now creating havoc in more areas, not only in Visayas, but also Luzon and Mindanao.
Records of the Sugar Regulatory Administration indicated that a total of 7,449.04 hectares of sugarcane plantations have been infested by RSSI, affecting 4,106 farmers in 428 barangays of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu and Leyte in Visayas; Tarlac, Pampanga, Batangas, and Camarines Sur in Luzon; and Davao in Mindanao.
Visayas was reported by SRA to have been the most severely affected by RSSI infestations at 5,826.30 hectares, affecting 3,559 farmers, with Negros Occidental worst hit at 5,521.64 hectares.
A total of 1,539.40 hectares of sugarcane plantations were also hit by RSSI infestations in four provinces of Luzon, while 83.34 hectares were affected in Davao.
An RSSI infestation is a pest problem in sugarcane, caused by the red-striped soft scale insect, which feeds on the lower leaves, weakening the plant and reducing sugar content by up to 50 percent, according to SRA.
The mass production of fungi like Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana is now being facilitated by the SRA in an attempt to control the RSSI infestations.
These fungi are native to the area, aggressively attack RSSI, and can be mass-produced by multiplying them on a molasses-based medium.
The goal is to provide a free, sustainable, and natural biological control method to farmers after initial field testing confirms its large-scale effectiveness.*
