The UPLB-IWEP Pest Clinic and Diagnostic Services, previously known as the UPLB Plant Pest Clinic, is an extension program of the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Banos. The Pest Clinic was established in 1967 at the Department of Plant Pathology led by Dr. Florendo C. Quebral. It became an effective department extension mechanism to address the plant disease problems of farmers by providing services for accurate plant disease diagnosis. With the initial success, the Clinic was reorganized in November 1977, by the joint effort of the then Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Agronomy (Weed Science Division) to increase its operational scope. Through the years, the original project thrusts and activities have undergone many changes to meet the changing needs of its addressed clientele.
Clients
The Pest Clinic supports various stakeholders such as farmers, private and corporate farms, government institutions, and the academic community in aspects of crop protection by helping them to properly identify, diagnose and effectively manage pest problems.
Pest Clinic Services:
I. Pest Identification and Diagnosis
Laboratory Testing
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- Visual assessment
- Microscopy analysis
- Pathogen isolation and processing
- Serological testing (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay)
- Molecular testing (Polymerase Chain Reaction, Nucleotide Sequencing, etc.)
Field Visit
Virtual Consultation
Phytosanitary Certification
Disease Indexing
Pest Clinic on Wheels
Training on Pest Identification and Management
Sale of Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs
Guidelines on Diagnostic Services
Clients may go directly to IWEP Pest Clinic or send their specimen via courier.
Please follow the pointers on sample collection and submission of specimens.
Pointers on submission of diseased plant specimens
- Collect samples of plants or plant parts bearing the disease symptoms or presence of signs of the pathogen.
- For leaf samples, wrap the detached sample in a clean paper towel or any paper, and then place in a plastic bag, and keep them in a cool condition during transport. Avoid the samples from getting wet to avoid spoilage of samples. Foo shoot, root or fruit samples samples, place them in a plastic bag and follow the same condition during transport.
- Submit the collected fresh samples immediately to the Pest Clinic not later than 2 days after collection.
- Label the samples properly indicating information on the crop affected, date and place of collection.
Pointers on submission of soil samples for nematode detection
- Collect soil subsamples from the outside and inside turf patches (see figure below) about 20cm deep composited to approximately 1kg per site. For the inside patches (B and C), include the root tissues as samples.
- Submit the collected samples immediately to the Pest Clinic days within 48 hours after collection.
- In case of a rainy day/season, perform collection 3-5 days after a heavy rain or until the soil dries up to field capacity.
Pointers on submission of insect specimens
The collected Insect specimens may be preserved following the wet preservation or dry preservation methods.
- Wet preservation: Collect insect samples and place them in a leakproof plastic or glass bottle (preferably 1 insect specimen/container) containing a technical grade 70-95% ethyl alcohol solution.
- Dry Preservation: Collect insect samples, and pin them properly and store inside a hard-cardboard box (preferably 1 insect specimen per box)
- Properly label the samples such as date and place of collection.
Pointers on submission of weed specimens
- Collect weed specimens including leaves, stems, flowers, pods or fruits and/or vegetative propagules.
- Place the fresh specimens in plastic bags secured with rubber bands or strings to prevent wilting.
- Submit the collected samples immediately to the Pest Clinic not later than 2 days after collection. Clients are encouraged to hand carry weed specimens to the Pest Clinic.
Service Fees and Charges
The Pest Clinic offers its services free* of charge to farmers. Service fee applies for private farms and other institutions. Charges will be communicated accordingly, and paid thru UPLB Foundation Inc.
* appropriate service fees may be charged should there be a need for further analysis
(Google Forms Link Here)
For submission of request
Section Under Construction