The Crop Pest Management Division is the agency's arm tasked to administer crop pest management services anchored on optimization of crop harvests for greater food and economic sustainability. It traces its roots way back in 1932, upon the promulgation of Act No. 4007, known as the Reorganization Law of 1932, creating the Plant Sanitation Division.

The Division underwent several reorganizations. On April 1952, during the Third Republic, it was named as the Plant Pest and Disease Control Division.The Division took the name Pest and Disease Control Division by virtue of Reorganization Plan No. 30-A, as implemented by Executive Order No. 216, implemented on January 16, 1957. It became the Crop Protection Division under the Integrated Reorganization Plan of 1972, until it assumed its present name as mandated by the government's most recent reorganization plan. 

MISSION/VISION

MANDATE

• Develops and formulates guidelines and standards on management of plant pests
• Provides technical assistance, coordination, and where necessary supervision over re-gional facilities, e.g. Regional Crop protection Centers (RCPCs) and surveillance and early warning system (SEWS), IPM-related national as well as bilateral/multinational technical program implementations are involved
• Assists and supports in regional implementation of national/bilateral technical program cooperation in crop protection
• Provides facilities for plant pests and disease diagnosis; mass production and rearing of biological control agents for field distribution training for crop protection staff and extension agents; and proper evaluation of national programs and projects on crop protection
• Supervises and evaluates researches and other development projects on exotic pests of special national considerations
• Maintains an up-to-date technical library on crop protection for researchers, technical workers and students of crop protection
• Acts as a technical back staff in trainings of KASAKALIKASAN, the country’s National Crop Protection Policy
• Acts as the central monitoring arm and repository of regional pest data

CONSTITUENT SECTIONS

Pest Forecasting Section

• Conducts pest monitoring and post-border pest surveillance, analysis of pest incidence reports and issuance of pest advisory
• Undertakes ecological pests assessment

Bio-Control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Section

• Oversees production, maintenance, distribution, screening, and assessment of the effectiveness of bio-con agents
• Provides direction in the establishment of sustainable bio-control agents production systems in communities
• Undertakes field verification of IPM activities and conducts assessment of RCPCs and the network bio-control laboratories

Plant Health and Pest Status Section

• Provides national plant health status
• Develops and maintain a repository of pest data, specimen-based pest list and other crop protection information
• Determines and reports the pest incidence and resistance (i.e., invasive, outbreak or epidemic)

ACTIVITIES

• Biological Control – identification, evaluation, conservation, mass production of beneficial organism for field application and integration with existing pest management practices
• Integrated Pest Management – identification, development, verification and field application of existing novel sustainable pest management practices
• Pest Monitoring – formulation, development, verification and field application of sound pest monitoring and surveillance activities in coordination with RFUs, RCPCs and LGUs
• Pest Museum – maintained at the Crop Pest Management Division for ready reference and preserved collections.
• Technical Assistance – to clientele, peers, and the general public in the identification and management of crop pests, serve as resource speakers on different crop pest management topics, hands-on training on mass production of biological control agents
• Pest Clinic – inquiries regarding insect pests, diseases, rodents and weeds, these are identified, preserved and management recommendations are given to the clienteles

TECHNOLOGY

• Trichogramma – egg parasitoid utilized as biocon agent to control asian corn borer (t. evanescens), rice stemborer (t.japonicum) and vegetable lepidopterous pest (t. Chilonis)
• Metarhizium – green muscardine fungus used as bioagent versus rice black bug, rhinoceros beetle of coconut, coconut leaf beetle, etc.
• Chilocorus nigrita – primarily feeds on the family Diaspididae namely; Aspidiotus destructor (armoured scale) on coconut andLepidosaphes ulmi (mussel scale) on lanzones but also has been reported to feed on whiteflies, aphids and psyllids.
• Trichoderma – most common fungal antagonist and used as compost fungus activator
• Lacewing – preys on aphids, thrips, mealybugs, whiteflies, armyworm, budworms, bollworms, borers, corn earworms, scale insects, psyllids, etc.
• Telsimia nitida - feeds on Aspidiotus destructor (armoured scale) and Lepidosaphes ulmi (mussel scale)
• Earwig – (Chelisoches morio) feeds on coconut leaf beetle Brontispa longissima; (Euborella annulata) feeds on corn borer and insect pests of vegetables

The National Seed Quality Control Services Division (NSQCSD), as mandated by the Seed Industry Act of 1992 (Republic Act 7308), supports the major thrusts of the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Plant Industry through the provision of quality assurance and control services for seed and planting material production, processing, storage and distribution, seed research and seed training in seed quality control towards sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.

The BPI-NSQCSD has stations spread across the country in the spirit of greater accesibility of the Bureau's services relevant to the agency's efforts to uphold availability of quality seeds.

VISION/MISSION

FUNCTIONS

• Formulate plans and programs on seed quality control services and activities on seed testing, seed/plant material certification and other quality control activities to be developed;
• Sample and conduct seed analysis and issue corresponding report of analysis of sample drawn from locally produced and imported seed;
• Conduct field inspection of seed crops, seed storage and processing facilities and other activities required for seed/plant material certification and issue the corresponding report of inspection;
• Conduct other related function like seed research and seed technology training for its clientele;
• Collect reasonable fees for testing of seeds, inspection of crop fields and facilities and for issuance of permits and license in relation to the activities of the Service and in accordance with the government regulation and standards;
• Supervise and coordinate all official seed testing laboratories in the regions and provincial satellite laboratories and seed certification in all provinces and sub-provinces;
• Accredit private seed testing laboratories; and
• Perform such other function as the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) may direct.

SECTIONS

Seed Certification Section

• Accreditation of seed growers to produce various seed crops
• Field inspection – inspection of the field by authorized seed inspectors at least three times per cropping season as per standards established such as isolation requirements, presence of off types, admixtures and weeds and incidences of seed-borne diseases and pests, among others.
• Seed sampling – drawing of a quantity of seed from seed lot in accordance with the International Rules of Seed Testing or as prescribed by NSIC.
• Seed Testing – accurate and prompt analysis of seed sample to determine the planting value of seed based on the methodologies prescribed by the ISTA.
• Tagging – after all field and laboratory standards are met, seed lots are then issued certification tags. Different seed classes are issued different colors: white-breeder seeds; red-foundation seeds; green-registered seeds; and blue-certified seeds.
• Inspection of seed warehouses, processing plants and seed producers/dealers‘ distribution centers and production areas.
• Pre and post control test-investigation of growing cultivars and the occurrence of certain seed-borne diseases grown on field plots. It needs familiarity of well-trained staff with the characteristics of the variety.

Crops Eligible for Certification: 

• Rice
• Corn
• Sorghum
• Mungbean
• Peanut
• Tobacco
• White Potato
• Cotton
• Wheat
• Soybean

Seed Testing Section - samples for different quality attributes in planting value such as germination, purity, varietal purity, moisture content, seed health, vigor, mechanical injury and other attributes are tested in accordance with the International Rules for Seed Testing (ISTA) or as prescribed NSIC. The following crops require seed testing:

• Agricultural Seed and Vegetable Seed Tree
• Shrub Seed Flower
• Spice, Herb and Medicinal Species

Plant Material Certification Section - aims to produce and distribute high quality planting materials of superior crop varieties of known genetic and varietal purity including freedom from the seed-borne systemic diseases. This involves:

• Formulate Plans and Programs on Plant Material Certification and Other Quality Control schemes to be developed
• Conduct validation/revalidation of existing registered parent, foundation and scion tree, plantation and root crops based on formulated guidelines.
• Conduct fruits samples for certification based on standard/guidelines.
• Tagging of certified trees and seedlings of fruits, plantation crops and root crops.
• Accredit tissue culture laboratory based on formulated standard/guideline for the production and distribution of tissue cultured planting materials.
• Conduct monitoring of foundation and scion trees and seedling for certification and periodic monitoring of certified crops.

Regional NSQCS Stations: