Pioneer donates corn pest manual

Every Filipino farmer who is serious in turning corn farming into a sustainable source of livelihood must have a copy of the newly published Maize Pest Manual.

This manual aims to help readers recognize pests, an important first step towards effective crop protection. It attempts to provide that knowledge by several means, chiefly through colored photographs with descriptions of the insect damages or disease symptoms; insect and weed appearance; insect life cycle and pest seasonal occurrence and abundance relative to geographic location and corn development stage. The lists of insects and diseases are sorted according to their occurrence in the corn growth stages. A pest information data sheet is included to assist in pest diagnosis.

The Maize Pest Manual is a publication of Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines Inc. (PHPI). It is part of the company’s commitment to serve the Filipino farmers.

This year, Pioneer celebrates its 30th year of presence in the Philippine hybrid corn industry. To commemorate this significant event, the company launches "Pioneer Alay Karunungan sa Maisan" program which aims to further enrich the knowledge and skills of stakeholders in the Philippine corn industry with the most appropriate hybrid corn production technology available locally.

Under the Pioneer Alay Karunungan sa Maisan program, a number of copies of the Maize Pest Manual will be donated to selected agriculture universities which can serve as resource materials for corn researchers and agriculture students. Pioneer will also distribute copies to identified beneficiary corn farmers and local extension workers in the country.

"Pioneer’s commitment to provide helpful management suggestions so that farmer can make the greatest possible profit is integral to its mission. The creation of this manual is meant not only to help farmers in the Philippines, but also anyone interested in improving yields through better farm management," expresses Jet Parma, PHPI country manager.