.::. BAR Chronicle .::. A monthly publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Vol. 2 No. 7
April 1-15, 2001
Biocon-based IPM: better control against ACB
by Junelyn S. dela Rosa

Biological control has gained momentum in most developed countries as early as the 70's but it has not gained much ground here in the Philippines. Moving to inject fresh interest into this environment-friendly technology, scientists and other mainstays of the Corn RDE Network conducted a seminar on Biocon-based IPM to encourage their partners to verify and extend the technology to their own fields.

Twenty staff from the different Regional Crop Protection Centers (RCPC) and Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country attended a Field Day that launched Biological Control-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) against Asian Corn Borer (ACB) at the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture (UPLB-CA) on 4 April 2001.

The study used four biocontrol agents; namely: Earwigs (Euborellia annulata), Orius (Orius tantillus), Trichogramma and some larval-pupal parasitoids against Asian Corn Borer (Ostrinea furnacalis) This is a destructive pest that causes 20-30 percent yield loss as experienced by corn farmers every year.

The Asian Corn Borer (ACB) is dreaded by all corn farmers since it attacks corn in the early part of the mid whorl stage, directly affecting corn ear quality. Young ACB larvae begin feeding on the leaf around the egg mass and later within the whorl while older larvae bore into the stalk behind the leaf sheath. The new technology is the output of a high-impact project of the National Corn RDE Network lead by Dr. Belen Morallo- Rejesus, a professor of the Department of Entomology, UPLB-CA. Entitled: Development of Biological Control-Based IPM for Asian Corn Borer, it is divided into four components: 1) Rearing and Field Augmentation of the Earwig Against ACB, 2) Mass Colonization and Evaluation of Orius Against ACB, 3) Conservation Methods for the Natural Enemies of ACB and 4) Search for Larval-Pupal Parasitoids Against ACB on Super Sweet Corn. The other researchers of the study were Dr. Pio A. Javier (NCPC, CA-UPLB), Ms. Marcela Navasero (Department of Plant Pathology, CA-UPLB), and Dr. Gloria Camarao (UP Mindanao-CA).

Dr. Rejesus emphasized the potential of earwigs as a biological control agent against ACB. She cited laboratory studies which show that Earwigs are voracious corn-borer eating insects, preying on egg masses, early instars, larvae and pupae of ACB. "Their sustainability on the field would not be hard to maintain since earwigs can disperse in the fields 3-6 meters away from its release point", she further stressed. Dr. Rejesus has mass reared earwigs in the Department of Entomology, UPLB, using the combination of dogfood and corncob as the factitious diet.

Experimental plots which used the biocontrol agents against ACB showed healthy and undamaged corn ears even without spraying the usual chemicals. This has fueled the optimism and decision of the researchers to launch the technology even if the experiments are still going on. They believe that the Biocon alternative is not only friendly to the environment, cost-effective and sustainable, it also poses no health risks to farmers.

Dr. Javier also asserted that conservation of other natural enemies in the cornfield and augmenting their population is imperative to control ACB and other pests and diseases of corn. Dr. Javier applied "staggered planting" as another alternative to pest control.

This one-day activity was organized by the National Corn RDE Network and the National Crop Protection RDE Network, in cooperation with the National Livestock and Poultry RDE Network and the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) and the Department of Entomology of the UPLB-CA with funding support from DA-BAR.

In a message to the participants, Dr. Wilfredo David, Chancellor of the UPLB lauded the new technology by saying that the study is "a big leap towards the use of new biological agents" in minimizing if not eliminating crop losses due to pests. Participants visited the Central Experiment Station, Pili Drive, Biocon Rearing Laboratories and at the Entomology Department and NCPC to observe how the biocon agents are reared and multiplied in the laboratories. The participants toured the test plots and the laboratories where the four biocontrol agents were studied and mass reared.

In the afternoon, the participants from the different RCPCs (Region 3, 4, 5,10, ARMM, CAR and Cebu) prepared their respective action plan on how to pilot the technology effectively in their regions. When the participants were asked about their impression of the promising technology, they said that they are " excited and eager to bring the new technology to the farmers in the different regions". The researchers promised to conduct a follow-up hands-on seminar or training for the RCPC and LGU staff and other extensionists on the mass rearing of the biocontrol agents.