Agriculture scientists cautioned farmers against the practice of dipping their vegetable crops into an insecticide solution as it is not a recommended procedure in pest control.
Dr. Emiliana Bernardo, a retired professor of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, warned vegetable farmers to stop this “enterprising application” of insecticides where a vegetable crop is dipped into the insecticide solution, instead of applying it by spraying method.
“This (dipping) could bring harm to the consumers,” Bernardo said in answer to query from the media on undocumented reports involving farmers employing the dipping procedure, specifically on ampalaya (bitter gourd) and eggplants to eliminate pests swiftly.
Considering that insecticides or pesticides contain chemical elements, farmers should take caution and should judiciously follow proper directions, Bernardo told reporters in an interview Tuesday.
The agriculture scientist also stressed the importance for farmers to follow insecticide use instructions to avoid the risk of developing insect resistance which “could lead to heavy infestations and crop losses to farmers.”
Bernardo explained that improper use of insecticides could possibly lead to the elimination of weak insects or pests easily but cannot kill the survivors which could reproduce fast. “After insects develop resistance, it would be difficult to control them,” she stated.
Bernardo, a recognized pioneering expert on resistance management in the country, was among the resource speakers during a seminar-workshop on Insect Resistance Management held on Tuesday at the Grand Regal Hotel this city.
She said that farmers should be taught on how to take remedies on insect resistance problem which has recently developed in Benguet province where a major pest called Diamondblack moth attacked its cabbages, lettuce and other leafy vegetables.
She added that farmers should learn in a scientific way, citing one input that insecticidal is not only applied on plants, but is also incorporated in the plant system.
United Kingdom-trained entomologist Pete Davies recommended the rotation method of using insecticides to decrease possibility of resistance development.
Davies, a representative of the Insect Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) International, explained that farmers should take on rotating the chemicals with “different modes of action rather than using different generic products and brands.”
He said that 90 per cent of the vegetable farmers in the country have to use insecticides.
Davies was also part of the series of seminar-workshop conducted by CropLife Philippines, the Belgium-based IRAC and DA nationwide. The seminar was earlier conducted in Benguet, Pangasinan and Cebu.
The seminar in Davao was attended by over 150 technicians, agriculturists and scientists in the region.
Meanwhile, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) executive director Dr. Norlito Gicana of the Department of Agriculture, also shared the same advice for farmers to use pesticides appropriately and according to label.
Gicana said that proper use of pesticides is one way of effectively controlling pests and insects, without affecting non-target elements or predators.
Gicana bared that the country is into the direction of using low-dosed chemicals used in pesticides or insecticides. “We are graduating from highly toxic level,” he stated.
Gicana assured that FPA will continue to uphold the standards set for pesticides to ensure safety of the people and the environment as well, saying that “this will ensure bio-diversity and sustainable development in the farming sector. [PIA 11/Carina L. Cayon]
