IS YOUR AMPALAYA PREMATURELY RIPENING ON THE VINE? IT COULD BE FRUIT FLIES
A FARMER FRIEND complained about his ampalaya prematurely ripening on the vine and of small holes appearing on the fruit. Other farmers were quick to point out that these were indications of a fruit fly infestation.
“The yellowing means the files have gotten to it already,” Raphael Dacones of Teraoka Family Farm says.”You can check if there’s a hole. If there is, it means it’s been fed on already.”
Fruit flies ( Drosophila melanogaster) can be a pest for farmers. The flies love off rotting and fermenting produce, laying their eggs near their food sources so the resulting maggots can feed on them after. Aside from ampalaya, they also like to feed on tomatoes, squash, and the like.
Cleanliness is essential in preventing fruit fly infestations. In a garden, covering crops that tend to attract these pests with paper can be enough of a deterrent.
“Raf is right. Ampalaya is a target for fruit flies. Use methyl eugenol or Supernet,” says Julius Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness Corp.
Natural farmers can also dilute Perla brand or other coconut-based soap in water and use the mixture to liberally “wash” affected plants for two weeks, making sure to cover all surfaces where insects might nest, including underneath leaves. The soap leaves a coating that’s non-toxic to humans but lethal to insects. That brand of soap is made from 50% coconut oil and has a cult following among gardeners for its insecticidal properties. Neem oil can also be applied.
If you think that you’ve already got an infestation on your hands, you’ll have to get rid of all affected fruit to make sure no eggs or larvae are left. “Perla might work but not if the worms are inside.
Burn or bury the damaged fruits as they will be the new home base of the pest to attack your other fruits,” Barcelona adds.
Keeping your garden clean is important to keeping pests at bay, as this lessens their chances of breeding in the area. Pests are just one of the challenges a farmer may encounter but with proper prevention and should an infestation occur, rigorous eradication, you’ll be able to enjoy your harvests without having to share them with creepy crawlies.
Photos courtesy of Carlo Sumaoang
ZACARIAS “ZAC” BOLONG SARIAN, prolific farmer and former Agriculture section editor of the Manila Bulletin and former editor-in-chief of Agriculture Monthly magazine passed away on December 7, 2020 at the age of 83.
The veteran journalist was a driving force not just in Philippine agriculture journalism, but in the agriculture industry as a whole.
Sarian hailed from Batac, Ilocos Norte. He studied in an agricultural high school while working in his veterinarian cousin’s farm where they raised hogs, poultry, and dairy animals.
Sarian’s passion for farming spilled from the field and onto the printed page where he inspired many Filipinos to try their hand in agriculture.
Even before he earned his foreign service degree from UP, he was already an agriculture columnist for the Manila Chronicle, which also published Philippine Farms and Gardens, of which he was editor-inchief from when it started in 1964 until its last issue in 1972. He worked as the agriculture editor of Business Day, Manila Times, and Agribusiness Weekly before joining Manila Bulletin in 1991, where he stayed until his retirement in March this year.
As the Agriculture editor of the Manila Bulletin, he continuously shed light and brought recognition to an industry that was slowly losing its lustre. Sarian was always on the lookout for promising crops and farms; coverage by Mang Zac often meant a boost in the farm’s clientele.
His influence was even more felt when he began to helm Agriculture Monthly magazine, which to date remains the longest running and most bought magazine of its kind. The issues have become collectors items, passed down from parent to child.
Now, a new generation of farmers have cropped up their love for agriculture having started from reading their parents’ treasured copies.
He has received numerous recognitions for his work. He received a Jefferson Fellowship in Developmental Journalism in 1971 and the Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 1974. Other accolades include the Most Outstanding Science Communicator Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology and J. Burgos Biotechnology Award for Best Feature Story in 2011.
Sarian’s relentless pursuit of stories that mattered was matched by his quest to produce the ornamental plants and best exotic fruit trees. Established in 1985, Sarian Exotic Fruits Trees, also known as Sarian Farm, was his way of proving what he wrote about: that a small piece of land could yield enormous profit if managed correctly. The farm is known for collecting outstanding specimens of fruit trees from overseas and propagating them so that they would be available to the Filipino farmer.
His love for agriculture included ornamental plants. He was an avid collector and had a keen interest in orchids and aroids. There is even an Aroid named after him: the Alocasia Sarian.
A year after he established his farm, he founded Agri-Kapihan, a weekly forum where agricultural enthusiasts, from hobbyists to experts, could mingle and learn from each other. He was also a radio host, co-anchoring “Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura” on DWWW; an author, having written eight books on agriculture; and blogger.
Zac Sarian lived a full life dedicated to agriculture, and because of his efforts, the industry is all the better for it.