The Department of Agriculture in Central Luzon (DA-3) has advised farmers to watch out for pests and diseases that attack during the first quarter of the year.
In an advisory, the DA-3 said that based on its historical data, the pests and diseases that will likely occur from January to March are rodents, rice black bug, brown plant hopper, rice stem borer and bacterial leaf blight.
The possible areas to be affected, it said, are the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac, according to a Philippine News Agency report.
Edgardo Supan, chief of the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) of DA-3, said in the PNA report that crop damage could be avoided through monitoring of the presence of pests and diseases.
Supan said early detection of pests and diseases is needed to prevent infestation and outbreaks.
“Infestation may cause big damage to the farms which result in income loss for the farmers,” he said in a statement.
Supan recommended the strengthening of pest surveillance and management activities to deal with the possible infestation threat.
