Thanks to Bio-fertilizer, Bio-fungicide, a Predator Wasp and Botanical Pesticides, an orchard owner can now produce organic durian. His trees don’t only give higher yields, they also produce fuller fruits with better rating quality.
If you ask the fruit experts, they will most likely tell you that it is impossible to produce durian without using chemical pesticides and commercial fertilizers. After all, durian is highly susceptible to phytophthora, the most serious disease of durian, as well as to other diseases and pests. Phytophthora affects all parts of the tree – the roots, the trunk, the branches and the leaves. It could be so devastating that growers often spray a lot of fungicide to prevent its occurrence or to control the same.
One durian grower in Davao City, however, is proving that he can produce durian without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He is Antonio “Ony” Partoza, lawyer-businessman, who has a 9.5-hectare durian plantation in Brgy. Biao Escuela, Davao City, and a 15-hectare durian and longkong orchard in Panabo, Davao del Norte.