US biotech company to aid Phl in combatting cecid fly infestation
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To further explore more efficient ways of eradicating the cecid fly infestation that harms the Philippine mango industry and causes lower harvests, the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that the government will seek help from experts from a United States biotechnology company.
The DA said they will invite experts from Sun & Earth Microbiology LLC, based in Miami, Florida, and are open to testing their products.
Moreover, the agency said that Guillermo William Vazquez, the Sun & Earth chief executive officer, has earlier helped in controlling fusarium wilt in bananas, a fungus that causes discoloration and wilting that eventually kills the plant.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiul Laurel Jr. also expressed interest in products that will address problems with rice bugs and fusarium wilt that affect the major domestic export products of the country, including abaca and coconut trees.
To address the cecid fly problem in Palawan, the US biotech company is looking into the use of biological microbes that have been said to be successfully tested against insects in Venezuela, Columbia, and Vietnam.
“The US biotechnology company also uses biological control agents to paralyze Cecid flies,” the DA added.
The cecid fly, also called mango midge, is a major pest of mango that infests the young leaves and fruits.
According to the Bureau of Plant and Industry, during high infestations, damage to fruits reaches up to 70 percent.
