Worm-resistant corn varieties seen to curb production losses

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December 5, 2025 | 12:00am

TUGUEGARAO, Philippines — Corn varieties that are resistant to fall armyworms (FAW) and intensified biological control measures are being eyed to curb production losses caused by the pest, according to the Department of Agriculture.

The DA said the worms destroyed thousands of hectares of cornfields in recent seasons.

During a media tour in this city, DA-Cagayan Valley chief Rose Mary Aquino confirmed that the country’s corn production continues to suffer when FAW attacks reached economic threshold levels.

FAW, a destructive pest scientifically known as Spodoptera frugiperda, was first detected in the country in 2019 and has since spread across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Farmers commonly refer to the pest as igges, harabas, ulod or uod.

The pest’s fast life cycle and aggressive feeding behavior have resulted in recurring losses in corn production, the DA said.

According to the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC), the pest devoured 2,515.16 hectares of corn during the 2024-2025 dry season, affecting 1,199.84 hectares in Cagayan, 903.99 in Isabela, 379.3 in Quirino and 32 hectares in Nueva Vizcaya.

For the 2025 wet season or from June to September, the infestation spread to 3,338.38 hectares across 37 municipalities and 182 barangays.

Aquino said Cagayan Valley has developed a full management protocol against FAW through the RCPC, using a combination of monitoring, biological agents, cultural practices and limited chemical control.

“We are able to manage it through the use of biological control agents, which are largely funded under the corn program,” she said.

These biological control agents include trichogramma, earwigs and beneficial fungi like Metarhizium.