Pest Management Modules for Basmati Rice and Farmer’s Perception

Abstract

The experimental trials were conducted to evaluate four IPM modules viz., M1-Integrated pest management, M2-Chemical module, M3-Farmer’s practice, and M4-untreated control against major insect pests viz., brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), white backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera (Horvath), yellow stem borer (YSB) Scirpophaga incertulus (Walker), leaf folder (LF) Cnaphalocrocis medinalis L, in basmati rice in farmer fields at Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. These experiments were conducted in during kharif 2017 and 2018. The observations were made on the mean number of hoppers (plant and leafhoppers), % leaf damage, % dead heart and white earhead. Similarly, occurrence of spiders was also monitored. The results revealed that the M1- IPM module was observed as the best with minimum pest damage, and higher yield. This study concludes that integration of ecofriendly sustainable IPM practices not only minimize insecticide use and other input costs, but also increases the crop yield by safeguarding the natural enemy (spiders). Pre-season skill-oriented extension training programs, field demonstration-based farmer-first participatory approach, as well as regular communication through social media, would enhance their adoption in basmati rice production.