CORM WEEVIL TRAP INSTALLATION ANDPOPULATION MONITORING AT TAGUM AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, INC. (TADECO), BRGY. A.O.

FLOIRENDO, PANABO CITY

GILBERT M. CALIS TRAINEE

MAJOR ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

Corm weevil trap installation (Fig. 1)

Corm weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) is one of the important pests of Cavendish banana. This insect is nocturnally active and very susceptible to dessication. Adults live as 2 years and survive long without food. The female oviposits its eggs singly into holes made by the rostrum. The larvae are the most destructive stage of the corm weevil, they feed and burrow into the corm creating damage, resulting to root destruction and tunneling of

Corm weevil is a nocturnal insect thats why trap was set-up in the field in order to catch them. Installation of corm weevil trap (split-log trap) was used to monitor the population of this important pest of banana.

Procedure for corm weevil trap installation (split-log trap)

Look for newly harvested pseudostem and cut a 35-cm (1-foot) length. Split lengthwise to produce two halves. Place each half flat on the ground near and between the corm of a mother plant and its follower then put a stick on the stump. Cover the stump with trashes to prolong its freshness and provide weevils with favorable environment.

Materials needed in corm weevil installation (Fig. 3) PPE ( Personal Protective Equipment) Tumbling bolo Scabbard with disinfectant Sticks Red strips

Corm weevil population monitoring

Importance of corm weevil population monitoring

For

informed

population

management

decisions.

Insecticide treatments or mass trapping

technique

can

be

recommended

when

counts exceed the action threshold. ( action

Procedure for corm weevil population monitoring Install 20 traps per lot. Ensure even distribution of traps. Collect and count trapped weevils 3-days after installation. Identify trapped weevils as corm weevil, stem weevil and small weevil.

OTHER ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN Bud injection (Fig. 4)

Bud injection is used to control flower thrips of banana that cause water soak and brown scab. Damaged of thrips can affect the quality of fruits and if it is severely damage it will cause wastage of production. This method of control should do before the thrips population established inside the bud and proper compliance of standard operating procedure (SOP) is important.

Bud injection standard operating procedure (SOP): Bud size had Injection volume Needle angle Injection point

- of the bud emerged 80 ml/bud 45 degrees 6-8 inches from the tip of the bud

Procedure for bud injection Locate the mats to be injected. Calibrate the delivery rate of the spot gun (10 ml/squeeze) each bud should receive 80 ml solution. Clear the hock attached at the tip of the lance. Inject bud 6-8 inches from its tip at 45 degree angle. Press spot guns trigger eight times (80 ml). Estimate 3-4 seconds before pulling out the needle.

Scale insect monitoring (Fig. 5)

Scale insect infestation was one of the

problems in banana plantation. Chemical is

used to control this pest by spraying the bunch,

the lower leaves and pseudostem. Washing was

also used to clean the infested hands in the

packinghouse by means of pressurized water.

Population monitoring was used to monitor its

population by bunch reading.

Scale insect population is rated by using the scale:

0 - none 2 - moderate (1-2 fingers infested) 3 - severe (> 5 fingers infested)

Procedure for scale insect monitoring Monitor SI on 9weeks old on bunches. Getting samples to the 1-2 leaf of mother and follower plants.

Thrips damaged assessment (Fig. 6)

Thrips damaged such as oviposition damage, brown scab and water soaked

were assessed by reading the bunch, 9

weeks after bagging. Thrips damage was

rated using the following rating scale.

Oviposition damage rating

0 - no oviposition damage in all fingers 1 - with oviposition puncture of 1-5 inches in majority of the fingers 2 - with oviposition puncture of 6-10 inches in majority of the fingers 3 - with oviposition puncture of >10 inches in majority of the fingers

Brown scab and water soaked damage rating: 0 - no damage 1 - water soaked lesion/corky scab present from the crown to the neck or up to 1.5 cm from the neck to finger. 2 - water soaked lesion/corky scab more than 1.5 cm from the neck to finger 3 - water soaked throughout the finger

Production parameters (Fig. 7) Production parameter was taken at harvest to determined the bunch weight,

calibration/size of finger, finger length, and number of hands.

Materials needed Round caliper Finger length Weighing scale

Procedure for production parameters. Select 10 samples systematically. Get the hand class. Measure the middle outer whorl finger of the second basal hand -for calibration -for finger length Get the bunch weight.

Banana root sampling (Fig. 8) Root sampling was to assess the root health status of the area through determination of percentage root lesion. Root sampling was done by collecting root samples 2 inches away from the base and facing between the mother plant and its follower. The dimension of the hole per sampling mat (with mother plant and its follower) is 15 X 30. Plant height, girth diameter are also gathered. Collect 6 sample plants per lot and it will be process at the

Root damage category: Functional roots A - 0 to few small lesion B - many small lesions with 1 to 2 large lesions (5-10 mm) C - three to several large lesions affecting less than 50% of the root length Non-functional roots D - large coalescing lesions affecting 50-80 % of length E - root length 95-100 % blackened

Banana fruit waste evaluation

Fruit waste evaluation was a method to evaluate the companys fruit waste. This was done at packinghouse to separate damage fruit like bruising, knife cut, maturity stain, chemical burn, old scar and other fruits that were infected with diseases and infested with pest. ( Fig. 9)

Procedure for fruit waste evaluation Bunch weighing Classification of banana Stalk weighing

DOCUMENTATIONS FROM
MAJOR ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

FIGURE 1. CORM WEEVIL INSTALLATION

up-rooted plant

tunneling of corm

FIGURE 2. CORM WEEVIL DAMAGED

Figure 3. Materials needed in corm weevil installation

DOCUMENTATIONS FROM
OTHER ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

FIGURE 4. ACTUAL BUD INJECTION

FIGURE 5. SCALE INSECT MONITORING

FIGURE 6. THRIPS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

HAND CLASS

BUNCH WEIGHT

Figure 7. Production parameter

CALIBRATION/FINGER SIZE

FINGER LENGHT

FIGURE 8. BANANA ROOT SAMPLING

FIGURE 9. BANANA FRUIT WASTE