Natural rubber is a key raw material in manufacturing various household and industrial products such as tires and footwear. Rubber farming supports the livelihoods of nearly 90% of smallholders in Mindanao, including the rubber-producing regions such as Zamboanga Peninsula, SOCCSKSARGEN, BARMM, and CARAGA.
Despite being a significant global commodity, the industry faces challenges that hinder productivity due to major diseases and insect pests, including the emerging new disease, Pestalotiopsis leaf fall that affects rubber trees. Quick identification and diagnosis of rubber diseases are critical in managing rubber plantations in the country. However, the Philippines has no established system to survey, detect, monitor, and manage the rubber diseases, which prompted the Philippine Rubber Research Institute (PRRI) to use Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning-based approaches as these have demonstrated high accuracy in plant disease recognition.
The resulting technology is an AI-based disease and insect pest monitoring and an online diagnostic clinic called Intelligent Rubber Insect Pest and Disease Diagnostic (IRISDD). This is an output of the project led by Dr. Jill D. Villanueva of Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology (CFCST)/PRRI in collaboration with the University of Southern Mindanao. It was funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) through the project, “Artificial Intelligence-Based Diagnostic Clinic for Detection and Monitoring System for the Management of Rubber Diseases and Insect Pests.”
Currently, the IRISDD has 50,000 images of rubber diseases and insect pests, which will aid rubber farmers in diagnosing and monitoring rubber pests. IRISDD will serve as a centralized database accessible online and compatible with all browsers on Android–making this innovation accessible for smallholder rubber farmers, cooperatives, associations, and local government units (LGUs), among other beneficiaries.
IRISDD can be accessed via a website, https://irisdd.net, composed of a homepage with three major services: rubber diseases and insect pests monitoring that provides real-time updates and monitoring; IRISDD Mobile Application that provides instant analysis of potential diseases through photos; and the Online Clinic where users can connect with experts on identification, diagnosis, and treatment of rubber diseases and insect pests.
Surveillance and observation results
Part of the project is the surveillance, assessment, and mapping of 90 rubber plantations in rubber-producing regions in the Philippines for the prevalence of rubber diseases and insect pests. A total of 15 types of image samples were collected: 11 diseases, three insect pests, and one healthy rubber leaf were processed for building the IRISDD application where the pests were characterized based on symptomatology of pathogens and feeding damage of insect pests.
Nine diseases and three insect pests were observed in the study with powdery mildew leaf spot (PMLS) reported as the most prevalent disease observed in all plantations in North Cotabato, Northern Mindanao, Davao de Oro, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bayawan City in Negros Oriental, Palawan in MIMAROPA, CALABARZON, and most of Basilan in BARMM.
Pestalotiopsis leaf spot/fall (PLF) was reported as the second most prevalent disease in all surveyed locations in Basilan, BARMM; in Zamboanga Sibugay and Davao De Oro with a reported PI of 15-55% occurrence.
Other diseases were also observed such as Corynespora leaf fall (CLF), Bird’s eye spot (BES), Algal Spot (AS), stem bleeding disease (SBD), and root rot disease (RRD).
Insect pests such as termites, pinhole borer, and scale insect were also noted and included in the IRISDD database.
The PRRI-led project was awarded 2nd place in the development category of the National Symposium for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD). Awardees were conferred during the 53rd DOST-PCAARRD S&T Recognition and Awarding Ceremony held on January 30, 2026.
NSAARRD, annually spearheaded by DOST-PCAARRD, recognizes outstanding R&D contributions in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector in the country.