The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) recently urged rice farmers in Central Luzon and the Bicol Region to step up field surveillance as wet‑season weather is expected to fuel pest and disease outbreaks.
A Bureau of Plant Industry report flags brown planthopper (BPH), bacterial leaf blight (BLB), rice blast, rice stemborer, and rodents as the top threats for the July‑to‑September quarter.
“Cloudy, rainy days with temperatures of 25‑30 °C are ideal for brown planthopper outbreaks. We expect heavier infestations and more cases of hopperburn,” PhilRice crop‑protection specialist Leonardo V. Marquez said.
Marquez urged growers to plant pest‑resistant varieties, synchronise sowing dates, keep paddies weed‑free, alternate wetting and drying, and apply fertilizer judiciously to curb pest buildup.
Stemborer pressure could also rise, he added, because plentiful rainfall encourages back‑to‑back cropping and short fallow periods that let the insect persist.
Rodent damage is projected to peak in Mindanao’s Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where continuous rains spur weed growth and reproduction, and to be lowest in the typically drier Ilocos Region.
Pest timing varies: BPH, BLB and blast can strike from tillering until just before harvest; stemborers may attack as early as seedling stage; rodents threaten fields from sowing to harvest, especially as panicles mature.
“If the cost of control outweighs the expected gain, it may be wiser to wait and prepare for the next season,” Marquez noted.
