‘Kurikong’ attacks Ilocos mangoes

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

Mango production in some areas of Ilocos Norte may fall from the expected yield this harvest season as a pest called cecid fly or “kurikong” in the vernacular has been attacking mango farms here.

Agriculturist Edwin Cariño, Millennium Development Goals program head of the Ilocos Norte government reported on March 19 that several mango growers have already noticed a decline in their production due to these flies, infesting mango farms across the country.

Earlier this year, mango growers in Pangasinan reported that up to 40 percent of the 460-hectare mango plantations covering 21 towns here have been attacked by cecid flies, also known as “buti” or “armalite” in Luzon.

Apparently, the infestation has already spread in the southern towns of Ilocos Norte such as in Badoc, Pinili, Currimao and Batac City, according to Cariño.

Experts from the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City said an adult mango cecid fly resembles a mosquito and commonly lays its eggs on young mango leaves. The larvae, which develop from eggs, mine the leaves producing dark green circular galls or swelling of tissues along the leaf blade. When the adults emerged from these galls, the leaves produce circular spots of holes, which are sometimes mistaken as fungal infection. Under heavy infestations, the leaves wrinkle and become yellow.

The infestation, however, affects the fruits more. When hit early, young mango fruits fall off from the tree. Fruits that remain produce circular brown scab-like spots, which are randomly distributed on the fruit’s surface. Infested fruits retain these scabby lesions till they are up for harvest, thus affecting their quality and commanding a lower market price. 

In view of this, the provincial government has invited Dr. Celia Medina, a mango expert from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños to conduct a cross-farm visitation to mango farms affected with cecid fly on March 24-25, along with mango stakeholders in the province.  On the next day, a mango stakeholders’ forum will be held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall, attended by a hundred mango growers and associations including researchers from the MMSU and technical staff of the provincial agriculture office.

The whole-day forum will tackle how to control this pest and develop a holistic approach to prevent its spread to other Ilocos farms.

According to Cariño, it is for the “first time” that this pest attacked Ilocos mango farms.

To date, the control of mango cecid fly is a subject of a research being carried out by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) under its proposed National Mango Research and Development Program.

In 2012, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte and the Department of Agriculture (DA) poured in more than P8 million for the immediate rehabilitation of at least 25,000 mango fruit-bearing trees in the province after a reported decline of mango production attributed mainly to unpredictable weather conditions caused by climate change.