In a recent study by pesticide toxicologists at UP Los Baños, the injection of neonicotenoid pesticides such as thiametoxam, imidachloprid and clothianidin in coconut trunks was found safe and effective in controlling the coconut leaf beetle (Brontispa longgisima).

Brontispa is a serious pest of coconut in the Philippines, having attacked more than 1.6 million coconut trees nationwide.  Two years ago, 26 provinces were quarantined due to infestation to save the coconut industry- a vital component of the export economy.

Bakanae, a fungal disease of rice, may pose a threat to the country’s rice supply.

Rice plants infected with bakanae, also known as ‘foolish seedling of rice’, have abnormal elongation growth, produce empty panicles or no edible grains, are incapable of supporting their own weight, and eventually topple over and die. These are the effects of gibberellic acid, a growth hormone, produced by the fungus during its sexual reproduction stage.

UPLB plant pathologist Christian Joseph Cumagun found that there is very high genetic diversity in the numerous isolates of Gibberella fujikuroi, the fungus that causes bakanae, which he collected in Nueva Ecija and Laguna provinces. This genetic variation opens up new problems for rice breeders who are into developing a bakanae-resistant rice variety.