Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Section 4 • Integrated Insect and Rodent Pests Management
The GMF and WMF can be easily mass-produced on rice or corn seeds, brewery wastes, and grass
cuttings and cultured in plastic bags, glass containers, or similar vessels. They can be produced
in powder form (pure spores), solution, or granular form when mixed with sand. Infected larvae
produce spores that infect second pest generation. These fungi can be easily conserved in vegetable
fields by not using chemical pesticides, particularly fungicides, which will normally kill them.
These fungi can also be introduced to augment existing natural enemies in areas where they are not
present 157 .
These practical and worthwhile innovations can be shared and enriched by farmers and facilitators
in FFSs to improve pest management practices through participatory, discovery-based, and
experiential learning approaches, hence this exercise. While the use of GMF and WMF as biological
control agents against numerous lepidopterous pests is an essential topic in any regular season-long
FFS session, farm-level mass-production of these fungi is more applicable and sustainable when
introduced as a follow-up activity of regular FFS farmer-graduates.
How long will this exercise take?
• One hour for field walks, observations (e.g., presence of egg masses, larvae, adults, damage
symptoms, and other signs of presence), and interaction with farmers on occurrence and
severity of lepidopterous pests infestation on organically-grown vegetables in learning and
adjoining field;
• Thirty minutes hands-on exercise on collection of GMF and WMF as initial stocks for
field-rearing;
• One hour actual field-rearing of GMF and WMF;
• Thirty minutes to one hour weekly brainstorming session in processing area; and
• This exercise will require at least two consecutive weeks from collection of GMF and WMF
initial stocks and final observation of fungi infection on lepidopterous pest larvae.
learning objectives
• To make participants aware of and understand innovative field-production and use of GMF and
WMF as biological control agents against lepidopterous pests of organically-grown vegetables;
and
• To learn and do field-collection, production, and use of GMF and WMF as biological control
agents against lepidopterous pests of organically-grown vegetables.
157 PGCPP. 1987. Pocket Reference Manual on Integrated Pest Management for Corn. Philippine-German Crop Protection Programme (PGCPP), Bureau of
Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, Malate, Manila, Philippines. pp89.
233