1. Cultural Practices and Resistant Varieties in Rice IPM
Introduction
Insect pests bottlenecks in the production of crops inflicting on an average about 30%
yield loss. There is thus ample scope to enhance our food production by curtailing losses due to pests. Pesticides have of course played a commendable role in increasing our food production and protecting us against disease vectors. However sole reliance on pesticides has created several problems.
Planthopper damaged crop
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2. This prompted scientists to look for safer and environment friendly methods of pest control and consequently concept of pest management came in to being. In IPM different methods of pest control such as resistant varieties, cultural methods, physical methods, natural enemies and pesticides are integrated to suppress pest population without jeopardizing other components of the environment.
IPM Concept
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3. Cultural practices
Routine agronomic practices, such as tillage, sowing time, nutrient & water management, clean cultivation, method & time of harvesting, with slight modification can be used to reduce pest pressure without any extra expenditure.
Flooding of fields
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4. Tillage
Deep summer ploughing exposes soil inhabiting pests to sun and predators. Likewise, raking field bunds destroys egg pods of grasshoppers.
Formation of alleways to improve aeration and sunlight in field facilitates planthopper management.
Deep summer ploughing
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5. Clean cultivation
Removal of weeds and excess nurseries reduces incidence of borers, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, gall midge, leaf folder. Removal of Echinochloa from field and bunds brings down gundhi bug population.
Echinochloa weed
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6. Sowing
Prepone or postpone planting dates depending upon the incidence of pests in an area. Synchronous planting reduces gundhi bug incidence. Similarly early sowing proves useful in managing gallmidge, leaf folder, gundhi bug and planthoppers.
Gundhi bug adult
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7. Nutrient and water management
Judicious use of nitrogenous fertilizers with emphasis of balanced fertilizer application reduces incidence of planthoppers and leaf folder.
Alternate wetting and drying rather than continuous flooding lowers incidence of planthoppers. On the other hand, flooding of rice fields reduces losses due to armyworms.
Healthy crop
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8. Trap crop
Planting 10% area under a susceptible rice cultivar under with nitrogen application proves effective in attracting first brood of pests and its subsequent destruction reduces pest pressure on the main crop.
Harvesting
Harvesting at ground level and destruction of stubbles helps to destroy overwintering yellow stem borer larvae thereby reducing its incidence in ensuing crop season.
Stem borer damage
Stem borer larva
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9. Resistant Varieties
Preference should be given to cultivation of resistant varieties as they greatly reduce need for other control measures. Resistant cultivar also enhance activity of natural enemy of pests thereby aiding in biological control of pests. These are also compatible with cultural practices and pesticides.
Susceptible and resistant varieties
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10. Some of the Resistant varieties
Gall midge: Abhaya, Asha, Dhanya Lakshmi, Divya, Karna, Kakatiya, Lalat, Mahaveera, Phalguna, Pratap, Rajendradhan 202, Ruchi, Sarsa, Shakti, Surekha, Usha, Vikram
Stem borer: Aaket, Deepti, Pajyur, Ratna, Sasyasree, Vikas
Susceptible and resistant varieties
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11. White-backed planthopper (WBPH): HKR120, HKR126
Brown planthopper (BPH): Aruna, Bhadra, Chaitanya, Chandana, jyoti, Krishnaveni, Manasarovar, Nagarjuna, Pratibha, Remya, Sonasali
White-backed planthopper (WBPH): HKR120, HKR126
Green leafhopper (GLH): IR20, Lalat, Nidhi, Viramarya, Vani
BPH on plant stems
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12. Let’s Sum up
Routine agronomic practices with slight modification can be used to reduce pest pressure without any extra expenditure.
Deep summer ploughing exposes soil inhabiting pests to sun and predators and removal of weeds also reduces pest incidence.
Formation of alleyways to improve aeration and sunlight in field facilitates planthopper management.
Judicious use of nitrogenous fertilizers with emphasis of balanced fertilizer application reduces incidence of planthoppers and leaf folder.
Harvesting at ground level and destruction of stubbles helps to destroy overwintering yellow stem borer larvae.
Preference should be given to cultivation of resistant varieties as they greatly reduce need for other control measures.
Resistant cultivar enhance activity of natural enemy of pests and are also compatible with cultural practices and pesticides.
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