Use of biopesticides for the management of rice pests

Region 2 [Cagayan Valley, Philippines] has a quite wide collection of rice pests. These are composed of bacterial, viral diseases and fungal diseases. Oftentimes, farmers find difficulty in controlling these organisms because of their characteristics to adapt to different varieties and chemicals that they are exposed to. Management of pests through biopesticides provides an environment friendly and economical pest management. In wet season, Treatment 3 (Lactic Acid) and Treatment 5 (Soap and water) provided the better pest control on PSB Rc 72H than any other of the treatments. Bacterial leaf blight was reduced on Treatment 3 by 10% and insect pests were reduced by 15%. The study is on-going to determine the effectivity of these biopesticides on pests prevalent during the wet season.