Tungro ravages 2,000 hectares of ricefields in 8 Kalinga towns

BAGUIO CITY — Tungro, the dreadful palay disease, has spread to Ifugao, infesting nearly 2,000 hectares of ricefields in eight of the province’s 11 municipalities, the provincial agricultural, environment and natural resources office said in a damage report.

Agriculturist Avelino Lunag, who consolidated the report, said the tungro infestation has already destroyed about 6,000 metric tons of palay valued at P49 million.

Tungro has also ravaged ricefields in Kalinga, with losses estimated at P20 million this wet cropping season.

Infested were nearly 560 hectares of palay in Barangays Agbannawag, Bulo, Lacnog, Madop—dop, Nambaran, Mapaway and Ipil, all in the Kalinga capital town of Tabuk, acknowledged as the Cordillera region’s "rice bowl."

Agricultural officials said the damage could mean a 68 percent loss in palay production.

In both provinces, the extent of damage could be bigger as field reports come in.

Palay infested with tungro bears yellowing leaves and clasping stems, thus stunting its growth.

The disease is spread by green leaf hoppers, which prefer palay at its vegetative stage.

In Kalinga, the infestation struck at a time when farmers were still recovering from leaf blight that ravaged their palay last July.

But unlike leaf blight which can be treated by bactericides, tungro has no cure.

The Ifugao provincial board has endorsed to Gov. Benjamin Cappleman the release of P500,000 from the 2006 calamity fund as rice seed assistance to the affected farmers for the next cropping season.

Agriculturists have advised farmers to choose a tungro-resistant rice variety, determine an appropriate planting time, monitor their ricefields, use insecticide only when needed, destroy the stubbles of affected palay, and observe the fallowing period.

They also recommended a six-week cropping gap to totally eliminate green leaf hoppers which feed on the remaining vegetation after harvest.

After six weeks, they said everything has dried up, thus leaving nothing for the insect-vectors to feed on.

"Insect vectors usually feed on young stems, making them hop from one area to another. Synchronized planting by area to avoid the possibility of any feeding point for green leaf hoppers is recommended in such instances," said agriculturist Joe Casibang.