Jun Torres

Ecija mango growers see ‘disastrous’ year

PEÑARANDA, Nueva Ecija – Mango growers are expecting a “disastrous” production year, blaming erratic weather and the fruit disease called “gloria-gloria.”

They say they do not expect to make money and were only hoping to recover production costs. This town has about 30,000 of the more than 400,000 fruit bearing mango trees to the province.

Unusual rainfall destroyed much of the flowers of the mango trees, resulting in fewer fruits. Many of the fruits that developed were, however, disfigured by the “Gloria-gloria” and “armalite” diseases, characterized by mole-like bulges, punctures or circular, brown scab-like spots on the fruit surface.

In a forum on Tuesday (April 8), Dr. Oscar Opina, technical expert on mango of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), said the “gloria-gloria” and “armalite” were caused by the cecid fly that attacks mango leaves and fruits.

The forum was organized by officials of the Laguna-based PCARR, the Central Luzon Agricultural and municipal agriculture offices.

Wilfredo Abesamis, 52, who was cited as a “magsasaka-siyentista” (farmer-scientist) by PCARRD, also spoke in the forum and shared with fellow mango growers his experience.

He said the science and technology interventions provided him by PCARRD experts helped improve his production. These included training on sanitary and center pruning of the trees, pest and diseases management, fertilizer application, irrigation, flower induction and fruit bagging.

“We did not know then that we need to provide good aeration and entry of sunlight to the branches and leaves of our trees, which can be done by pruning,” Abesamis said. “We did not also know then that we could retard the growth of the new shoots in order for them to mature well and become ready for inducing them to flower and bear fruits.”

Abesamis said it is also important to keep trees healthy and irrigated.

He said he would assist other mango growers in Nueva Ecija by disseminating the technology and knowledge shared to him by PCCARD experts.