Approaches and Practices in Pest Manageme

Economic Importance of Pests

Overview
• This module will discuss the economic importance of
pests and why we need to control or manage them.
• The different kinds of damage caused by pests and
examples of major pests affecting important crops in the
Philippines are discussed.
• Also included are the historical developments in pest
management.
Negative Effects of Pests to
Crops
Lesson Summary:
• The student is expected to be reviewed of the negative
effects of pests on crops and other plants, the different type
of damage they cause to plants and the losses they incur to
agriculture.
• A review of some of the major pests and diseases that
affect important crops in the Philippines is also included.
Negative Effects of Pests to
Crops
Learning Outcomes

After completing this module the student should be

able to:
• Describe the different type of damage to crops by pests,
• Identify some of the economically important pests of
major crops in the Philippines.
What are the factors cause
reduction in crop production?
• Pest damage
• Lesser land area for agriculture
• Climate change
 The global population is continuously crop value lost due to pests:
increasing while the arable land area is
decreasing

2000 ~ $ 6.2 billion

2010 ~ $ 7.1 billion
2019 ~ $ 7.7$
- with 1.1% per annum increase
(based on the projection of the United
Nations).

This means an increase in the

global consumption of food and
Figure 1. World population (billions) vs arable land (ha/person) from 1950 therefore commands a higher
to 2015 food production.
Approximately 60% more food
will be needed in 2050 (FAO,
2009).
How climate can aggravate in
crop production reduction ?

• Extreme weather events drought and flooding greatly

affects crops and can cause an increase in the population
of certain pests.
• In the Philippines, the weather is becoming less
predictable.

• Climate change is projected to reduce GDP growth by

0.9 percent in 2050.

• The impact of climate change on agriculture is

projected to cost the Philippine economy about PhP
145 billion per year through 2050 (Rosegrant et al.,
2016).
What are the impacts of pests
to agriculture and man?
Some examples of the world’s historical pests:

• Potato late blight epidemic

- by Phytophthora infestans (a fungal-like organism)
• It caused famine that led to the deaths and
migration of Europeans (mostly Irish) to the
US, Canada and Australia
Examples of the world’s historical pests:

Rice brown leaf spot epidemic

• By the fungus Helminthosporium oryzae
• Caused the great Bengal famine in India during World
War II;
Western corn root worm
(Diabrotica virgifera virgifera)

A serious economic pest in corn because larvae feed on corn roots, making plants
unstable or severely reducing water uptake
Examples of the world’s historical pests:

South American rubber blight caused by

Microcyclus ulei;

Colorado
potato
beetle (a)
and
mountain
pine beetle
(b)
A B
How high do pests can cause crop losses?
Estimate of losses of major world crops (Table 1):
Wheat - diseases (12.6%)
Rice - animal pests (15.1%)
Corn - diseases (11.2%)
Potato – diseases (21.1%)
Soybean – diseases (10.1%)
Cotton - animal pests (12.3%)
Coffee - pests and diseases (26% - 38%)
 Table 1. Estimates of actual losses of major crops (%) due to pests
worldwide from 2001-2003 (Modified from Oerke, 2006)
Crop Weeds Animal Pests Diseases Total

Wheat 7.7 7.9 12.6 28.2

Rice 10.2 15.1 12.2 37.5

Maize 10.5 9.6 11.2 31.2

Potatoes 8.3 10.9 21.1 40.3

Soybeans 7.5 8.8 10.1 26.4

Cotton 8.6 12.3 7.9 28.8

Will proper pest
management practices
lower crop losses?
Table 2. Estimated Crop Losses Worldwide in three major crops
with or without pest control (Oerke, 2000).
Crop Without Pest Using Mechanical,
Control Biological and Chemical
Control

Rice 77 37
Wheat 50 28
Potato 75 40

Journal of Agricultural Science. 144:31-43.

Table 3. Comparative efficiency of pest control
strategies in major continents
Country Efficiency of Pest Control
(%)

Northwestern Europe 71
North America 63
Southeast Asia 42
West Africa 43
East Africa 32

CGIAR Systemwide Program on Integrated Pest Management (SP-IPM)

Kinds of Damage that Pests do to Crops
A. Direct injury
-Includes direct physical damage to the crop,
which eats leaves or burrows in stems, fruits, or roots
B. Indirect damage
- Includes introduction or transmission of a bacterial,
viral, or fungal infection into a crop.
Types of damage that pests inflict to crops:
• Insect feeding and consumption of leaves and shoots
by chewing insects;

• Blighting and rotting of leaves and shoots due to

fungal and bacterial pathogens thereby reducing leaf
area for photosynthesis;

 Insect feeding or infection of the growing

parts leading to retarded growth
• Insect or nematode feeding on roots that cause rotting
of the roots by plant fungi and bacteria;

• Sucking of plant sap leading to retarded plant growth or

resulting to transmission of pathogens such as virus and
phytoplasma;

• Insect feeding or infection of fruits, berries and flowers

by plant pathogens thereby reducing the crop quantity
and quality;
• Insect feeding on seeds or rotting
due to fungal and bacterial
pathogens leading to reduced
germination;

• Postharvest losses due to insects

such as weevils and borers and
plant pathogens causing dry rots
and soft rots;
• Contamination of postharvest products by
molds that produce mycotoxins such as
aflatoxin of Aspergillus flavus and fumonisn of
Fusarium sp.

• These toxins are reported to be carcinogenic

to man.

• Many other different kinds of damage.

Major pest of important crops in the
Philippines
 Major Insect Pests of Rice

Deadheart and whitehead, rice stemborer damage

Major pest of Rice

Rice black bug Green leafhopper

(Scotinophora coarctata) (Cicadella viridis)
• Causes bugburn or deadheart • vector of rice tungro virus
Rice black bug

• Rice black bug damage resembles the deadheart at vegetative

stage and whiteheads at panicle stage
(similar to the damage caused by stem bores)
• Heavy infestation results in bugburn.
Rice bug
Leptocoris
a oratorius
Major Insect Pests of Corn

Asiatic corn
borer
(Ostirnia
furnacalis)
 Major Insect Pests of
Corn

Corn earworm (Helicoverpa armigera)

Major Insect pests of vegetables

Ampalaya fruitfly/melon Diamond back moth

fly (Bactrocera sp.) and (Plutella xylostella)
damaged fruit larvae and
affected cabbage
 Major Insect pests of vegetables

Ampalaya fruitfly/melon fly and

damaged fruit
Aphids- vector of several viruses

Diamond back moth larvae and

Eggplant fruit and shoot borer Squash beetle
affected cabbage
 Major Insect pests of vegetables

Whitefly –vector of viruses Cutworm

 Major Insect pests of vegetables

Thrips –vector of viruses Leafminer and affected tomato host

 Major Insect pest of
vegetables

Flea beetle and damaged eggplant Spotted beetle and damage

Major Mite pest of vegetables

Broadmite and damage on pepper

 Major Insect Pests of Coconut

Rhinoceros beetle and damage Coconut hispine beetle and damage

 Major Insect Pests of Coconut

Coconut scale insect “cocolisap” and damage

 Major Insect Pests of Jackfruit

Coconut hispine beetle and damage

Jackfruit borer – Glyphodes caesalis

 Major Insect Pests of Jackfruit

Jackfruit fruitfly- Bactrocera umbrosa and damaged fruits

 Major Insect Pests Of
Mango

Mango pulp weevil – Sternochetus frigidus

 Major Rice Disease

Bacterial blight -Xanthomonas Rice blast – Magnaporthe grisea

oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)
Major Rice Disease

Sheath blight – Brown Spot Tungro disease/and virus vector

Rhizoctonia solani Helminthosporium oryzae
Coconut Diseases

Coconut cadang cadang disease (viroid)

Coconut Diseases

Coconut bud rot / Phytophthora palmivora

Major Vegetable Diseases

Late blight/Fruit rot (Phytophthora sp. Mosaic/virus

Of tomato and eggplant)
Major Vegetable Diseases

Bacterial wilt/tomato Bacterial spot /tomato

Ralstonia solanacearum Xanthomonas vesicatoria
Tomato late blight and fruit rot (Phytophthora sp. ) affecting tomato and
eggplant

Soft rot of vegetables Downy mildew/ampalaya and cucumber

 Little leaf/witches broom (ampalaya/patola)

Powdery mildew Root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

Black sigatoka/banana Bacterial Wilt/Moko Disease

Fusarium wilt/Panama disease Banana bunchy top

 Phytophthora Diseases

Jackfruit decline/dieback caused by Cacao pod rot (Phytophora sp.)

Phytopthora palmivora)
Citrus Tristeza virus Yam dieback/anthracnose Citrus huanglongbing
disease