Agriculture orders use of chemical spray vs Luzon armyworms

The Agriculture Department on Monday ordered P900,000 worth of knapsack sprayers and insecticides for local government units and agriculture technicians to control armyworms that attack farms in Batangas, Cavite, Bataan, and Quezon. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala told Undersecretary Joel Rudinas and Assistant Secretary Dennis Araullo to monitor the infestations, the department said in a statement. On Monday, Araullo visited Cavite, Batangas, and Quezon to coordinate with local officials and technicians. Secretary Alcala also ordered the Agriculture Regional Field Units in Regions IV-A (Calabarzon) and III (Central Luzon) and the Bureau of Plant Industry to coordinate with the respective provincial and municipal governments, particularly Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, and Quezon. Chief Wilma Cuaterno of the BPI Crop Protection Division and chief Cecille Manzanilla of the DA-4A Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) are the experts Rudinas and Araullo tapped to teach local government units, farmers, and the general public on how to control armyworms and other pests. Armyworms are most destructive during the larval stage, but could be controlled by the insecticide sprays Carbaryl and Pyrethroids. "The chemicals should be sprayed directly to the armyworms or to the vegetation, where the pests are visible during late afternoons when they are most active," the department said in a statement, citing Cuaterno and Manzanilla. "We are urging the extension workers and farmers to follow proper procedures in the application of recommended chemicals as indicated in their labels. We are also urging farmers to always wear protective gears during insecticide application," it added. Armyworms are nocturnal moth larvae that travel in multitudes, destroying vegetation including grass and grain along their path. One egg mass is equivalent to 100 to 300 eggs, which turn into voracious defoliators once hatched, the department said. Armyworms first attacked the first district of Batangas early this month, the department said. —MR Gavin/Jesse Edep/VS, GMANews.TV