Utilization of biopesticides for crop pest management: the CLSU experience

The use of biopesticides as component of an integrated pest management program for agricultural crop production is now gaining popularity in Philippine agriculture basically because of the known negative impacts of highly chemical conventional way of producing crops. Three of the known biopesticides such as biological pesticides, plant pesticides and biochemical pesticides were evaluated as management strategies in groundnut aflatoxin, and vegetables insect pests control. Seed treatment with T. harzianum was found effective in suppressing the growth of A. flavus followed by Trichoderma sp. and Chaetomium globosum. Their efficacy was significantly different with Dithane M-45. Soil incorporation with biological control fungi (BCF) and seed treatment plus soil incorporation with BCF were likewise found effective in reducing the population density of A. flavus in soil. This effect resulted to a very minimal number of rotten pods and low percentage kernel infection. Significant increase in pod yield was also recorded from plants applied with BCF as seed treatment plus soil incorporation. Botanical pesticides evaluated were found to inhibit infestation of some common pests of vegetables. Likewise, microbial insecticides such as Metarizium anisophae and Bacillus thuringiensis were found effective in suppressing population of striped plea beetle in pechay. It is interesting to note that the application of the different biopesticides did not impose significant yield reduction in the test crops.