ILOILO City – Local farmers in Western Visayas play a vital role in the success of community-based researches, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
This, as the DA through the Research Division, Regional Crop Pest Management Center (RCPMC), and Corn Program established a research project focused on monitoring and control of fall armyworm (FAW) in Sitio Paradahan, Barangay Igcocolo, Guimbal, Iloilo.
According to Luisa Fulgueras of DA Region 6 Research Division, the direct involvement of farmers from the establishment and monitoring of the corn areas used in the research will give them first-hand knowledge on the management of fall armyworm and other pests.
The farmers, above all, are expected to benefit from the research project, she added.
Fulgueras said they are optimistic that the results gathered at the end of the research project can help farmers in controlling and managing FAW.
The establishment of monitoring sites aims to validate and verify the efficacy of different control measures for FAW. It also aims to identify the most effective and suitable control practices for the pest.
A total of six treatments were prepared in the monitoring sites – Treatment 1: No Control, Treatment 2: Systemic Control, Treatment 3: Contact/Stomach Control, Treatment 4: Systemic and Contact Control, Treatment 5: Botanical Concoction Control, and Treatment 6: Metarhizium.
Pest monitoring on the six treatment areas was being conducted every five to six days after spraying. Collected data like the number of live FAW collected during the monitoring is being documented.
To help corn farmers determine the effective management control for FAW, the team conducted a field evaluation on the 65-day old glutinous corn.
Some 45 farmers from Sitio Paradahan participated in field activity on May 4, 2021.
She encouraged the farmer-participants to share their learning with other farmers in the locality to reciprocate the best practices on pest management. (with PIA-6 Iloilo/PN)
