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Alternative methods for pest<br />

management in vegetable crops<br />

in Calamba, Philippines<br />

P.R. Hagerman<br />

Department <strong>of</strong> Environmental Biology, University <strong>of</strong> Guelph,<br />

Guelph, Ontario, Canada<br />

The results <strong>of</strong> preliminary investigations to find a nonchemical control<br />

method for eggplant pests are reported. Two biological control agents (the<br />

wasp Trichogramma chilonis and the earwig Euborellia annulata) and<br />

two cultural control methods (manual and trapping) were compared with<br />

insecticide-treated and control (untreated) plots in an experimental field.<br />

Although crop damage was lower in all treated plots, the untreated control<br />

plots produced higher yields. The crop in the experimental field was<br />

compared to that in an adjacent pesticide-treated farmer's field. The yield<br />

from the experimental field was slightly lower (4%), but resulted in higher<br />

net income (24%) than the farmer's field. Recommendations for integrated<br />

pest management based on these experiments are now being tested by<br />

farmers and are leading to more pr<strong>of</strong>itable farming with lower humanhealth<br />

risks and lower environmental impact.<br />

Since the 1960s, pesticides have been the primary tool used by Filipino<br />

vegetable farmers to combat insect pests (UPLB 1990). Pesticides are<br />

frequently applied at higher-than-recommended doses and at shorter-thanrecommended<br />

intervals. Yet even these treatments are not always effective in<br />

controlling insect pests, suggesting that some insects may have developed<br />

resistance to certain pesticides.<br />

Because many Filipino farmers have experienced health problems after spraying<br />

pesticides, the practice <strong>of</strong> hiring casual labourers to spray fields is common.<br />

However, this and the other cots associated with the use <strong>of</strong> pesticides<br />

substantially reduce the net income <strong>of</strong> farmers. Moreover, regardless <strong>of</strong> who<br />

applies the pesticides, farm families still risk exposure through contamination<br />

<strong>of</strong> food and drinking water (shallow wells for domestic use are <strong>of</strong>ten located<br />

at the edge <strong>of</strong> vegetable fields). Studies have found high levels <strong>of</strong> pesticide<br />

315

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