EVALUATION OF CONSERVATION OF ONION

CROPS AGAINST ARMYWORMS

Ivy T. Enriquez
Mei Xen G. Estabillo
Lawrence M. Gatuz
College of Manangement & Business Technology
Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology
Cabanatuan City 3100, Philippines

Abstract – The study describes the situation of Onion industry in the Nueva Ecija. The area that
is affected and the cost of damage on the onions. And the pesticides used by farmers and its effect.
The army worms have been affecting the onions in the past 4 years. To sum up the army worms are
eating the onion from inside making them less vulnerable from the pesticides. Study employed the
descriptive qualitative and comparative type of research. It employed the use of informal interview
record gathering from agricultural office of Nueva Ecija and onion farmers. Findings revealed that
the attack of armyworms in Nueva Ecija is currently lessen than the previous years; most of the
farmers are not affected because of the pre cautions of the agricultural office and previous
experiences they have learned. It also found out that any pesticides cannot terminate armyworms
in onions or any crops. As to impact of the previous outbreaks UP Los Baños conducted a seminar
for the municipal agriculturist and farmers to order to inform and educate then on how to lessen
and eliminate the female armyworms to be terminate and not reproduce.

Keywords – Army Worms; Nueva Ecija; Onions

I. . Introduction The fall armyworm is active at a different

The armyworm (Spodoptera fruigiperda) is a
species in the order of Lepidoptera and is
the larval life stage of armyworm moth. The
term "armyworm" can refer to several
species, often describing the large-scale
invasive behavior of the species' larval stage.
It is regarded as a pest and can damage and
destroy a wide variety of crops, which causes
large economic damage. Its scientific name
derive from frugiperda, which
is Latin for lost fruit, named because of the
species' ability to destroy crops.[1] Because
of its propensity for destruction, the fall
armyworm's habits and possibilities for crop
protection have been studied in depth. It is
also a notable case for studying sympatric
speciation, as it appears to be diverging into
two species currently.[2] Another
remarkable trait of the larva is that they
practice cannibalism.
time of year than the true
armyworm, another species in the
order Lepidoptera and family Noctuidae, but
of the genus Mythimna. Outbreaks of the true
armyworm usually occur during the early
part of the summer; the fall armyworm does
most damage in the late summer in the
Northern regions.[3]
In 2015 army worms arise in the province of
Nueva Ecija affecting hundreds of hectares
of onion fields due to climate change.
Caterpillar damage on onion leaves caused
by Spodoptera sp. The caterpillars are often
found inside the tubular leaves of onions and
eat the leaves in just 24 hours and leave the
onions not profitable and lifeless. The study
found out that there is no insecticide that can
terminate the attack of army worms.

1
And because of Armyworm the price of onion crops and effects of army worms. A)
onion is affected. The price become higher Total Farmers and Hectares planted and
in year 2016 and 2018. It affected the Hotel affected B.) Production and damages C)
and Restaurant industry. Because onion is Pesticides used
used almost in every dish that we cooked. It
can highly affect the taste of the food if you 1.Status of the Onion Industry in Nueva
reduces the amount of onion.
Ecija in terms of armyworms attack.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to describe the effects of A. Total farmers and Hectares planted and
armyworms in onion farmers in Nueva Ecija. affected
Especially, it sought to answer the following: Table 1.0 No. of farmers affected and Area
1.Describe the situation of onion industry in Planted (2019)
municipal agriculture of: Laur, Bongabon,
Sto.Domingo, Rizal and Natividad.
Municipali Number Area Area Yiel
2.Number of hectares being affected by
ty of Plante affecte d
armyworms. farmers d d loss
3. The pesticides used by the farmers and its affected
effects.
Bongabon 482(49 - 109.60 30%
4. Propose a plan for elimination and
%)
prevention of armyworms.
Rizal 447(46 - 10.8/3 65%
%) 6 -
II.Materials and Methods
100
This study employed the descriptive and
%
comparative type of research. The study was
conducted in five onion-producing Gen. 43(4%) - 59 20%
municipalities in the third congressional Natividad
district of Nueva Ecija, namely: Bongabon,
Laur and Sto. Domingo, Natividad and Rizal. Sto. 5(1%) - 6.20 10%
Domingo
There are 49 barangays and there are more or
less 2,500 farmers affected in 2015 to 2016. Laur - - - -
We gather data in each municipalities and
interviewed municipal agriculturist and December 27- March 15, 2019
random farmers. Interview with the onion The table 1 allow us to see the total farmers
farmers was conducted simultaneously. and hectares planted as well as the hectares
Documentary Analysis is a form of affected. Comparing the data it shows that in
qualitative research in which document are the year 2019 46% of the affected farmers are
interpreted by the researcher to give voice from Bongabon even though the total area
and meaning around an assessment topic. planted is not available it is easy to
distinguish what town is dominating in terms
III.Results and Discussion of area affected and yield of losses. It is
This section presents discussions which were presented that it is the town of Bongabon
focused on the status of each municipality in with 10.8 hectares of total losses and 36

2
hectares of partially damaged along with the A. Total farmers and Hectares planted and
percentage of 65% to 100%. Unlike affected
Bongabon, Sto Domingo is the lowest. Table 2.0 No. of farmers affected and Area
Planted December 22- April 2 (2018)
B) Productions ad Hectares affected Municip Number of Area Area Yie
Table 1.1 Production and losses ality farmers Plant affected ld
affected ed loss

Bongabo 468/20(81 953 14.40/39 40

Municipalit Stage of Price/k Total n %/4%) 5.42 %-
y Crop g₱ losses ₱ 100
Developm %
ent
Rizal 31(5%) 367. 31.50 30
Rizal Bulbing 12 23,716,8 55 %
00
Sto. 3/33(1%/6 388. 4.50/19. 10
Doming %) 84 37 %-
Bongabon Newly - 20,046,2 o 100
Planted- 58 %
Vegetati
Laur 16(3%) 288. 16.05 30
ve
30 %
Gen. Bulbing 12 1,911,60 Nativida - - - -
Natividad 0 d

Sto.Domin Bulbing 12 100,440 Table two presents the data from December
go 22 to April 02, 2018 it shows that similar to
the data presented from year 2019 Bongabon
Laur - -
has the highest percentage of number of
Table 1.1 depicts that at the bulbing stage farmers affected followed by Sto. Domingo
Rizal, Gen. Natividad, and Sto Domingo as well as the area affected and yield loss. It
experienced the attack of armyworms while is shown that with two consecutive years the
Bongabon is at newly planted and vegetation, army worms have been pestering the onion
at farm gate selling price of ₱12 which is industry in Nueva Ecija.
lower than the average price that makes the B) Productions ad Hectares affected
onion farmer harder to fill up with the losses
Table 2.1 Production and losses
of year’s losses. With the production cost of
₱120,00 to 150,000 per hectares the farmer of Municipali Stage of Price/k Total losses
Rizal has lost ₱23,716,800.00 which is ty Crop g₱ ₱
higher than the loss of Bongabon which is the Developme
nt
onion capital of the Philippines.
Bongabon Bulbing 32 81,140,1
84

Rizal Bulbing 38 4,847,85

3
 0 10
%
Laur Bulbing 38 2,470,09
5 Rizal 290(38%) 774. 216 20
80 %
Sto. Bulbing 38 993,681
Gen. - 67 67 10
Doming
Nativida %
o d

Gen. - - - Laur 15(2%) - 216 10

Nativida %
d

It is shown on table 2.1 the farm gate price of
onion in the year 2018 which is 38 pesos
except on Bongabon which is 32 pesos they
harvested their onions late and causes mass
production and decrease of price.
Armyworms attack Bongabon in the stage of
newly planted and vegetative while the rest is
in bulbing stage. With the same production
cost as last year the town of Sto. Domingo
has the least of lost amouth of ₱100,440
while similar on the previous year Bongabon
has the highest lost amounting to
₱81,140,184. It is shows that decrease in
price affects the amount of losses of
Bongabon.
According to the table with the percentage of
38% Rizal have the most farmers affected in
the year 2017 however Rizal only lost 20%
of the production comparable to Sto.
Domingo who has lost 30%. The towns of
Laur and Gen. Natividad only lost 10% of
production while Bongabon has 10 to 20% of
lost both in total and initial damage.
B) Productions ad Hectares affected
Table 3.1 Production and losses
Municip Stage of Price/ Total losses ₱
ality Crop kg ₱
Develop
ment

Sto. Bulbin 25 18,447,750

A. Total farmers affected and Hectares Doming g
o
planted and affected
Bongabo Bulbin 25 7,873,875/7,6
n g 37,625
Table 3.0 No. of farmers affected and Area
Planted March 6- April 24 (2017) Rizal Bulbin 25 14,580,000
Municip Number of Area Area Yie g
ality farmers Plant affected ld
affected ed loss Gen. Bulbin 25 2,261,250
Nativi g
Sto. 270(35%) - 182.20 30 dad
Doming %
o
Laur Bulbin 25 192,375
Bongabo 163/30(21 - 22.63/11 20 g
n %/4%) 6.65 %-

4
Comparable to the data from year 2019 Sto.
Domingo rises to the top with the cost of B) Productions ad Hectares affected
losses of ₱18,447,750, followed by
Bongabon, Rizal, Gen. Natividad and Laur. Table 4.1 Production and losses
Similar to previous year’s bulbing is the Municipa Stage of Price/ Total losses ₱
stage when armyworms attacked. According lity Crop kg ₱
to the data gathered the farm gate price of Develop
onion is at ₱25 only. ment

Bongab Bulbing 45 302,994,000

A. Total farmers and Hectares planted on .000
and affected 884,096,640
Table 4.0 No. of farmers affected and Area
Rizal Bulbing 45 371,331,000
Planted February 29- May 10 (2016)
.00
Municipa Number of Area Area Yiel
lity farmers Plant affect d Sto. Bulbing 45 230,607,000
affected ed ed loss Domin .00
Bongabo 632 2899, 2889. 70
go
n (20%)1817( 98 98 %- Bulbing
58%) 100 Gen. 45 60,048,000.
% Nativid 00
ad
Sto. 525(17%) 475.2 427.0 100
Domingo 0 5 % Laur Bulbing 45 31,185,000.
Laur 85(3%) 283.5 96.25 60 00
5 %
Assessing all the data gathered, The year
Gen. 69(2%) 115.7 111.2 100 2016 has the highest farm gate price
Nativida 0 0 %
d which is ₱45 it cannot cover the losses of
the municipalities. It is as well has the
Rizal - 742 687.6 100
highest losses. 2016 is the year where
5 %
armyworms attacked the most in our
The month of February 9 to May 10, 2016 onion industry that leads to higher losses.
the municipalities of Bongabon, Sto. Even at its first attacked the stage of crop
Domingo, Rizal and General Natividad have development is in bulbing that caught of
100% of total damage while Laur has 60%. attention and outbreak. Municipality of
Considering the table the town of Bongabon Bongabon lost the total of
has widest affected area. It also shows that ₱1,187,090,640. 5 municipalities have
Bongabon has 78% of farmers affected lost ₱1,880,261,640.
which is the highest while Gen. Natividad
has the lowest with 2%.

5
 that they think that would help. Spraying
different kind of pesticide does not eliminate
but it will strengthen the immunity to the
chemicals.
C. Pesticides Used
Table5. Pesticides Used (2016) IV. CONCLUSSION
Municipalities Pesticides Used As to the total farmers and total hectares
planted Bongabon has the most total number
Bongabon Exalt, Taiwanese of farmers as well as the widest total area
&butterfly Insecticides, planted followed by municipality of Rizal.
Calbofuron 3G,
And because of that Bongabon also is the
Cypermethrin, Permethrin,
widest area affected with the hectares of
Pheromone trap, Formalin,
Monosodium glutamate,
4,805.64 from the past 4 years. The
salt, sugar and other municipality have the widest agricultural
insecticides. land that produces onions, from the past 4
years Bongabon had lost a total amouth of
Laur Formalin, Monosodium ₱1,310,009,382 followed by Rizal with
glutamate, salt, sugar,
₱390,758,850, Sto. Domingo at the third
pheromone trap and other
insecticides. rank with losses of ₱250,148,871 the
second to the last is Laur with
Sto.Domingo Calbofuron 3G, ₱33,847,470 and Natividad as the last
Cypermethrin, Permethrin,
₱2,261,250.
Pheromone trap and other
insecticides. Municipalities Total Total Area
Farmers Planted
Rizal Exalt, Taiwanese
(HA)
&butterfly Insecticides,
salt, sugar and other Bongabon 523 496.13
insecticides
Rizal 447 488.00
The table five presents the pesticides used by
the farmers to eliminate the armyworms and Laur 154 133.15
it presents that Bongabon has the most
pesticides used which are the following Exalt, Gen. 43 59.00
Taiwanese & butterfly Insecticides, Natividad
Calbofuron 3G, Cypermethrin, Permethrin,
Pheromone trap, Formalin, Monosodium Sto. Domingo 16 33.62
glutamate, salt, sugar and other insecticides. In the year 2016 to 2019 Bongabon has the
The study concluded that they used almost sum of 3,770 of total farmers affected that
the same pesticides to eliminate the army makes the town on the top rank of most
worms but nothing worked. They even used damage municipality comparing to
home insecticides like baygon and baolilai. municipality of Sto. Domingo which is the
In desperation they used to pick up lowest.
armyworms one by one and used everything

6
As to pesticides used Laur, Bongabon, Reference
Natividad, Sto. Domingo and Rizal used the
[1] "Species Spodoptera frugiperda – Fall
same chemicals to terminate the armyworms
Armyworm Moth – Hodges#9666".
but based on study nothing had worked and
Retrieved 25 May 2017.
the armyworms got immune with the
chemicals. [2] Groot, Astrid T.; Marr, Melanie; Heckel,
David G.; Schöfl, Gerhard (2010-01-01).
As to onion stage, according to the data
"The roles and interactions of reproductive
majority of the onion stage that armyworns
isolation mechanisms in fall armyworm
attack is in bulbing stage.
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) host
UP Los Banos propose a plan to eliminate the strains". Ecological Entomology. 35: 105–
female armyworms with the use of 118.
pheremone trap. Pheremone trap is a type of
[3] Luginbill, Philip (February 1928). "The
insect trap that uses pheremones to lure
Fall Army Worm". Technical Bulletin (U.S.
insects. Sex pheremones and aggregating
Dept. Of Agriculture. Bureau of
pheremones are the most common types
Entomology) (34).
used. Agriculturist recommends resting the
agiriculture land after being used as onion
plantation and the attack of armyworms in
order for the armyworms to die before the
land is being used for another crop season.
An early farming is also recommended,
before the extreme heat caused of climate
change and summer season which also the
season that armyworms arises it is around the
month of February to April. It is
recommended to plant onions between the
months of October to November.
Agricultural land is also recommended to be
plow under to stop the life cycle of
armyworms.
VI. Recommendation
Based on the findings, We highly
recommend to farmers and municipal
agriculturist to keep communicating on UP
Los Baños who is conducting a research on
how to eliminate army worms. And they can
do the precautionary measures that the
mucipal agriculturist said to them until the
researchers find a solution or effective
insectitcides to completely terminate the
army worms.