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Alternative to commercial pesticides, insecticides seen

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (July 7) — Local farmers would now have a more cost-efficient alternative to commercial pesticides and herbicides, with the gradual practice of biofumigation techniques.

This, Dr. Lily Ann Lando, Benguet State University’s (BSU) project leader in an international agricultural research, confirmed in an interview with NORDIS.

“This is basically why the research was set up. The results may not be as dramatic but at least local alternatives are made available”, she said.

According to the Australia-based Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), biofumigation refers to the suppression of soil pests and diseases by the production of isothiocyanates (ITCs) from Brassica green manure plants during and following incorporation to the soil.

Isothiocyanates are the same chemicals that give mustard and horse-radish its hot taste, says the CSIRO. Members of the Brassica or Brassicaceae family include cabbage, Chinese cabbage, among others.

Specifically, biofumigation suppresses bacterial wilt and root-knot nematodes in vegetables. Lando’s team conducted a recent study on the use of crucifers, specifically mustard, as biofumigants to control the bacterial wilt of potato, tomato, and eggplant. The tests were conducted in selected sites in Buguias town, and Brgy. Balili here. Other project areas include Pangasinan, Laguna, Davao, and Bukidnon.

Locally available crucifers, like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage were utilized in the tests. These were actually rejects from the La Trinidad Trading Post, Lando said. Five kilograms of these were chopped and incorporated into the soil before cultivation.

“Initially, results show that the best biofumigants are cauliflower and broccoli”, Lando said.

She added that the research team is currently producing enough mustard for another test soon.

“One problem though is the abundance of local supply for the biofumigants,” Lando said, since the production of crucifers is not very voluminous.

“Habang lumalaki yung halaman, makikita mo na iyong kaibhan”, (The difference is noted while the plant grows) she said, adding that the bacteria are killed during the first 2 to 3 weeks.

Lando shared that in Australia, mustard, as a biofumigant is already commercially available.

Biofumigation technology there is much more advanced, she noted.

After the Regional Workshop on Biofumigation for Soil-borne Disease Management in Tropical Vegetable at BSU last June, delegates were toured at local farms, where Australian pathologists and soil scientists saw that the farming conditions here are very different, such as the topography, which they witnessed in a fieldtrip to Buguias.

“While biofumigation technology in Australia can be done by machines, including the chopping and plowing, our farmers here still have to ‘gabyonize’ (make use of the hoe) to do everything”, she quipped. Agricultural land in Australia is mostly flat, compared to our gardens here, she added.

Technical assistance from Australia was clinched after the training to develop local biofumigation techniques.

The CSIRO further states that according to Australian field trials in Queensland from 2001 to 2003, biofumigation has increased the yield of vegetables and reduced bacterial wilt without increasing root-knot nematodes. # AT Bengwayan for NORDIS

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