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GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Another coconut pest with a far more devastating effect has infested farms in parts of Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region, agriculture officials said. Soccsksargen is composed of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City. Elvira Silva, Philippine Coconut Authority Region 12 chief, said Asiatic palm weevil has been detected in coconut trees in the town of Alamada in North Cotabato province. Asiatic palm weevil (Rhabdoscelus lineatocollis), according to the regional Department of Agriculture office, is more ravaging than Brontispa longissima or the coconut leaf beetle that was earlier confirmed to have infested 12 towns in the region. The weevil feeds on the soft tissues of the coconut, which could dig a meter long from the young fronds to the heart of the coconut tree, according to a report from the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Crop Protection Center. The weevil’s life cycle includes the formation of a cocoon before pupation. Adult weevils could lay up to 200 eggs. Silva said technical briefings have been conducted for farmers to help them identify coconut trees infested by the weevil. “[We have] recommended to the farmers the cutting down of the dead coconut trees in their respective area [to avoid further infestation],” she said. Silva urged farmers across the region to be vigilant and to closely watch their coconut trees, especially those below 12 years old because these are the most vulnerable to the weevil infestation. Citing a joint report by the regional offices of the PCA and RCPC, Amalia Datukan, DA-12 regional director, said the palm weevil has affected a farmer with a 10-hectare coconut plantation in Barangay Kamansi in Alamada town. Barangay Mabasa was also infested by the palm weevil infestation where the same ages of trees were attacked, she added. At least five coconut trees have been confirmed dead due to the weevil infestation, the report said. “Based on the field monitoring and validation, 785 coconut trees have been infested by the weevil,” Datukan said.
She said that based on the degree of infestation, the pest could have been around for almost a year.
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