Integrated pest management in rainfed rice production systems of India - a farmers' participatory study

摘要

On farm adaptive trials were carried out under the World Bank aided National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) to develop and verify location specific IPM technologies suitable for rainfed rice production systems in Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and North Eastern states of Assam and Manipur during wet seasons of 2001 to 2003. The trials consising of three treatments: (i) farmers practice (FP) involving conventional practices of the farmers, (ii) scheduled treatment (ST) involving application of insecticides based on a regular schedule and (Hi) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) treatment - with a set of optimized location specific pest control components adopted on need basis, were conducted at 10 sites in each of the 5 locations viz., Cuttack, Titabar, Imphal, Warangal and Kalyani. The results indicated that incidence of insect pests, diseases and weeds was lower in IPM and ST treatments than FP. The cost benefit ratio was higher in IPM treatment providing higher net returns to farmers. There was also increase in natural enemy populations in IPM treatments due to reduction in pesticide use. Impact studies showed that there was increase in awareness among the farmers in adoption of environment friendly components like: tolerant varietiesin case of gall midge and brown plant hopper (BPH), use of pheromone traps for monitoring yellow stem borer, release of Trichogramma egg parasitoid against leaf folder, balanced application of fertilizers, formation of alley ways and water management.