Insect Pest (Order. Coleoptera) Profile of Selected Lakatan (Musa acuminata Colla cv. Lakatan) Banana Plantations in Polomolok, South Cotabato

There is little to no information regarding the insect pests infesting the Lakatan (Musa acuminata Colla cv. Lakatan) banana variety in Polomolok, South Cotabato. In this study, insect pests were identified and profiled in 3 representative Lakatan banana plantations in Polomolok, South Cotabato. Results of this study identified 6 insect species in the 3 Lakatan banana plantations examined that can potentially cause damage to the production of the fruits of the plant. These are (1) Banana Corm Weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus Germar, 1823) (2) Banana Stem Weevil (Odoiporus longicollis Olivier, 1807 & Marshall, 1930) and (3-6) four species of foliage feeding beetles from the genus Anomala (Samouelle, 1819) with one of the four species is Anomala of dubia (Scopoli, 1763). Two (2) of these 6 insect pest species, namely C. sordidus and O. longicollis were observed in all 3 Lakatan plantation sites. There was also remarkable abundance of Anomala sp. in the Lakatan plantation in Barangay Upper Klinan with minimal occurrence in the plantation in Barangay Rubber, and no occurrence in the plantation in Barangay Silway 8.