Management of Insect, Disease, and Nematode Pests of Rice and Wheat in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

Abstract

Summary The dynamics and severity of pest attack in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) has shifted with the adoption and spread of the rice-wheat crop rotation in the last three decades. Pest attack on the rice and wheat crop in the IGP has been severe in certain years, and pest management in the region has largely been based on chemical control means. Though Integrated Pest Management (IPM) modules have been developed for rice and wheat in India, its adoption and spread has been limited to certain areas of the IGP. In general, pest infestation is higher during the hot and humid summer rice-growing season compared to the cooler wheat-growing season. This article reviews the insect, pathogen, and nematode pest spectrum and their control methods for the rice and wheat crop in the IGP. The changing dynamics of these pests, IPM modules developed in India and successful IPM strategies are also discussed in this article.