The Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry – Crop Pest Management Division (BPI-CPMD) conducted a series of field activities under the Climate Smart Pest Management (CSPM) Project in San Leonardo from January to April 2026, covering all stages of the field trial from experimental field identification and establishment up to harvest. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Beauveria bassiana as a biological control agent against brown planthopper (BPH) in lowland rice, with particular emphasis on storage duration and application concentration.
The implementation of the project was carried out in coordination with the Regional Crop Protection Center, headed by Marietta DL. Agregado, Provincial Agricultural Office of Nueva Ecija, headed by Dr. Jovita B. Agliam, and the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist of San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija, headed by Mr. Emmanuel C. Nieto, along with Mr. Renato R. Jampil, Pest Control Technician, whose support greatly contributed to the smooth implementation and monitoring of the trial.
Field activities included the establishment of the experimental layout, labelling and tagging of treatment plots, and supervision of rice transplanting in accordance with the field trial methodology. Fine-mesh net screens were installed to facilitate the controlled establishment and monitoring of BPH populations within the experimental area.
The field trial also involved weekly field monitoring and data collection conducted over five observation periods, as well as four weekly applications of the assigned treatments following the prescribed treatment schedule. Throughout the cropping period, researchers continuously monitored pest incidence, crop response, and treatment performance until the final collection of data during harvest.
The field activities conducted under the CSPM Project successfully implemented the researcher-led field trial in San Leonardo from establishment to harvest. Overall, the initiative underscores the critical role of field-based experimentation in fostering evidence-based strategies for the sustainable control of brown planthoppers within rice production.