Bio-control warfare against destructive mites

In LaTrinidad, war is currently happening behind the majority’s awareness. In fact, the number of casualties skyrocketed to the millions already. This conflict also slashed millions of pesos off the nation’s economy leaving victims, mostly in the marginalized sector of farmers, contaminated fields to cultivate. This conflict is between the millions, if not billions of Two Spotted Spider Mites (TSSM) against strawberry growers and the small platoon of researchers headed by Dr. Maria Ana Tanyag of Benguet State University (BSU).

TSSM infestation

Casualties scored millions which goes as far as the 1980’s where TSSM feasted and killed the bounties of high quality strawberry production here in the north. These TSSM are the most common and diverse group of plant feeding mites and they are considered pest of various cultivated crops. They feed and live inside the protection of web of silk under the leaves of strawberries making them difficult to kill when sprayed with synthetic pesticides. TSSM infested strawberries crops that led to the stunting of the plants and non-production of fruits. Most of these infested crops dried.

More outbreaks followed challenging strawberry farmers to shift to other strawberry cultivars but to no avail because TSSM leave no runners untouched as the infested them all. TSSM infestation continued to increase and along with this was the increasing use of synthetic pesticides as well.

Through the years, battles were fought and won by the strawberry growers through the use of synthetic pesticides. But as the years progress, these battles left a scenery of barren wasteland over our strawberry fields. All because of the relentless usage of synthetic pesticides against TSSM which intensified the acidity level the soil making it less desirable for strawberry production.

During this time, the only counter which our farmers were forced to do against the attacks of TSSM towards their crops was the use of synthetic pesticides. This use of synthetic pesticides is a practice brought about conventional type of farming which caused the strawberry production in the north, specifically the town capital of Benguet, LaTrinidad, where most strawberries are being produced, to dwindle at an alarming rate.

Conventional farming bankrupted most our strawberry growers. In a survey conducted by BSU, they found out that strawberry growers would have to spend a staggering amount of 84,600 php on pesticides over a one hectare of strawberry field. This amount buried most of our strawberry farmers in debt. Lucky if during the harvest season they can breakeven after spending much on pesticides.

Discovery of the weapon against TSSM

Recognizing the need for an immediate answer to this TSSM crisis, Dr. Tanyag from BSU College of Agriculture devoted her research to find other necessary means in eradicating TSSM without the use of synthetic pesticides. Her years of work finally paid off sometime in the early 2000’s when she discovered a biological predator can devour strawberry’s pests, purposely TSSM. Her discovery caused the tides of the conflict to turn in favor of our farmers.

These predatory mites were reared purposely to attack and eat TSSM from their eggs to their maturity. Unlike other bio-control agents where it needs to be shipped from other countries, these predatory mites which feast on these TSSM were discovered by Dr. Tanyag in our locality.

After being granted the blessing to be disseminated outside for our farmer’s utilization, BSU erected a Biological Mite Center to mass produce predatory mite. All produced predatory were later given away to neighboring strawberry farmers for free upon their requests.

Requests letters asking the services of Dr. Tanyag and the BSU Biological Mite Center goes far outside the borders of Benguet.

The need for a revolution

Victory seems yet to be achieved for our farmers. This is despite the discovery of the bio-control weapon against TSSM. In fact, the discovery was just the first step towards attaining genuine victory for our farmers as the use of synthetic pesticides in conventional farming still continues to plague our soil’s fertility, and so long as conventional use of pesticides in farming continues to threaten our consumer’s health, the quest for genuine victory continues.

Dr. Tanyag stressed the need for farmers to turn away from conventional farming and embrace the Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) for them to avail the free services of BSU Biological Mite Center. Also aside from their benefits in availing free services, their revolution from conventional farming to GAP would benefit our nation’s consumers and our environment.

Dr. Tanyag added that the BSU Biological Mite Center also holds free predatory mite rearing trainings to strawberry growers. This way according to Dr. Tanyag, will capacitate the farmers to rear their own bio-control agent for them not to be dependent of BSU’s services.

As of this writing, Dr. Tanyag disclosed before this author that they are now currently studying the possible efficiency of the same predatory mite (Amblyseius Longispinosus) against Cyclamen Mites (Phytonemus Pallidus). Unlike TSSM which feast on strawberries during the dry season, Cyclamen Mites in contrast, do their destruction to crops during the rainy season. And in the study conducted under the laboratory conditions, the predatory mite showcased promising and positive results against these Cyclamen Mites.

Dr. Tanyag together with researchers is now considering conduct a tracer research for them to document impact of their research to strawberry growers. Because for the past years, there were no reports of TSSM outbreaks although request letters still reach the desk of Dr. Tanyag until today seeking her help. But that will be another separate story.