Marita Pinili

University of the Philippines Los Baños | UPLB · National Crop Protection Center

Cassava witches’ broom disease (CWBD) is one of the most devastating diseases of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), and it threatens global production of the crop. In 2017, a phytoplasma, Candidatus Phytoplasma luffae (Ca. P. luffae), was reported in the Philippines, and it has been considered as the causal agent, despite unknown etiology and tran...

The control of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has been a significant concern to corn and rice agroecosystems in the Philippines. As one of the strategies for FAW management, recent studies have focused on developing entomopathogen-based control tactics, of which utilization of entomopathogenic nematodes is considered as a promising opt...

Cassava witches' broom disease (CWBD) is a threatening disease of cassava first recorded in the Philippines in 2012'. It has been believed to be caused by phytoplasma, a phloem-limited, obligate, and pleomorphic bacteria. In 2017, the detection and association of a phytoplasma, Ca. P. luffae was reported as a case in the Philippines. However, previ...

The control of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda , has been a significant concern to the corn and rice in the Philippines. Recent research has focused on developing control strategies using biological controls such as entomopathogenic nematodes. This paper evaluated the efficacy of the Philippine isolates Heterorhabditis indica (HiBSDS, Hi...

Cassava Witches’ Broom Disease (CWBD) has spread to major cassava cassava-producing areas, and it threatens the livelihood of cassava farmers in the Philippines. CWBD is believed to be caused by a pathogenic phytoplasma (Candidatus Phytoplasma sp.)1, Ca. P. luffae in the Philippines, but there is still no evidence regarding vector transmission and...

Tomato is a high-value vegetable crop widely cultivated in the Philippines, and its production is threatened by various stresses including infection by the root-knot nematode M. incognita. In this study, we checked for resistance to M. incognita in selected tomato germplasm collections and commercially available varieties using a bioassay method, t...

A new badnavirus, aucuba ringspot virus (AuRV), was identified in plants of Aucuba japonica showing mild mosaic, vein banding, and yellow ringspot symptoms on the leaves. The complete nucleotide sequence of the AuRV genome was determined and found to be 9,092 nt in length, and the virus was found to have a genome organization typical of members of...

A survey of sugarcane yellow leaf disease (SCYLD) was conducted in the Philippines. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) tissues showing the typical SCYLD symptoms were collected from eight provinces. Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) identified ScYLV in samples from Batangas and Cebu, Philippines while there was no phytoplasma detecte...

Comparative studies were conducted on three Radopholus similis populations collected in Quezon, Laguna and Davao, Philippines from 2008 to 2010. For the first time, morphological and morphometrical characteristics of the Philippine R. similis populations were studied and showed differences for the major body regions. Consequently, reproductive fitn...

Sugar is one of the world’s most important commodities and the Philippine sugar industry is one of the key economic drivers in the country. However, production of sugar from sugarcane can be reduced due to sugarcane yield and quality losses that are caused by plant diseases. In this study, the geographic distribution and etiology of sugarcane disea...

Gamma rays using Cobalt 60 (60Co) irradiation method was conducted to determine the sensitivity doses and response of in vitro propagated abaca to Banana bunchy top (BBT) and Banana bract mosaic (BBrM) diseases. Abaca cultivars (cvs) Tinawagan Pula (TP) and Tangongon (TG) were studied. Both cvs. had similar biological/physiological reactions to gam...

A total of 32 Philippine banana cultivars of varying genotypes including two collections of wild Musa balbisiana were evaluated for resistance to burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, and root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, under greenhouse conditions. Resistance was evaluated based on plant growth parameters, root damage and nematode repr...