Abstract
With the recent innovations in the field of ecological pest management,conservation and enhancement of biological diversity at any rice agro-ecosystemshas received considerable attention. The composition and abundance ofaboveground arthropods was assessed on upland rice fields in Matalam, NorthCotabato, Southern Mindanao, Philippines. Sampling and monitoring was doneusing malaise trapping, sweep netting and direct counting techniques. A total of29 arthropod species belonging to 21 families in nine orders were documented.The collected samples were comprised of 40% insect pests, 53% predators and7% parasitoids. The three most abundant insect pests were rice bug (Leptocorisaoratorius), rice seedling maggot (Atherigona oryzae), and pink stemborer (Sesamia inferens). The predators are dominated by lady bird beetle (Micraspis spp.), social wasp (unknown) and long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha maxillosa). Ichneumonids,Braconids and Tachinids, though in smaller numbers, were present throughoutthe cropping season. More importantly, the study reported the presence of four rice stem borer species – Scirpophaga innotta, Scirpophaga incertulas, Sesamia infere and Chilo suppressalis and two rice grain bug species – Paraeucosmetuspallicornis and Elasmolomus sordidus in Matalam. The occurrence, compositionand abundance of insect pests and associated natural enemies vary with ricegrowth and developmental stages. The negative Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r= -0.31) between the insect pests and natural enemies was attributed to effectivecultural management practices which have been developed through decades ofsubsistence upland rice farming.Keywords: Ecology, aboveground arthropods, upland rice agro-ecosystem, sampling andmonitoring, Philippines
Published Version
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