‘Friendly’ wasps to counter pests in coconut farms

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – Millions of “friendly” wasps will be released in coconut-producing regions to fight a pest attacking the trees.

Scientifically known as Tetrastichus sp., the insects  are being bred at the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Coconut Authority-Davao Research Center (DA-PCA-DRC).

The project  is known as “Development of National Control Strategies for Brontispa longissima, Gestro, an Introduced Pest of Coconut in the Philippines With Emphasis on Biological Control.”

Wasps have already been released in regions infested with B. longissima, the Los Baños-based Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) has reported.

“As an offshoot of these training activities, 52 satellite laboratories have  been established in various parts of the country,” the report said.

More   than 1,500 coconut farmers, technicians of PCA and DA-local governments and members of the academe are being taught on how to mass-produce the wasps.

Brontispa longissima has already infested coconut palm trees in 628 towns in 75 provinces.

A report on the project’s accomplishments won first prize for PCA-DRC researchers Vivencio Gallego, Ma. Cynthia Gallego, and Ivorie dela Torre in the Best R&D Paper award conferred by PCAARRD during the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD) held in Los Banos recently.

The NSAARRD awards were presented to the individual and institutional winners during the R&D Exhibits and Awarding Ceremonies recently  held at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.

NSAARRD,  a PCAARRD initiative, showcases the most outstanding achievements of individual scientists/researchers and institutions that have “helped shape the country’s agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) through science and technology,” PCAARRD executive director Patricio S. Faylon said.

Brontispa longissima, which spreads fast, attacks all stages of the coconut, especially the seeding stage and the newly planted, and later infests coconut  bearing palms.

“Adults and larvae of the B. longissima are the most destructive stages where they feed and inhibit the developing unopened spear leaves of the coconut palm,” PCAARRD said in a report by Ricardo Argana.

When infested with the pest, coconut palm leaves become scorched or ragged.

In their study, the PCA-DRC researchers found that Terastichus sp. is one of the most promising species that can effectively control B. longissima.

According to PCAARRD,  “These parasitoids can be released in the fields in the form of adult wasps or as mummified pupa to prey on Brontispa longissima. With its parasitic activity, Tetrastichus sp. can regulate the population of B. longissima at low level so that it could no longer cause significant damage to coconut palms.”

PCA-DRC researchers now mass-produce the “friendly wasps” in the laboratory and release them in infested coconut areas.

The mass-production is being backstopped by massive information campaigns and hands-on training courses on mass production of the parasitoids.