Certainly, here’s an article on How to Control Sucking Pests in Paddy Crop:
Rice or paddy is one of the most significant food crops in the world, providing food to billions of people. However, myriad pests, including sucking pests, can damage the crop and reduce yield. Sucking pests like brown planthoppers, green leafhoppers and white backed planthoppers inflict damage by sucking the sap out of rice plants, leading to reduced yields and stunted growth. In this article, we’ll take a look at some methods to control sucking pests in paddy crops.
1. Biological Control
Biological control involves the use of natural or bioagents to control pests. In the case of paddy crops, natural predators or parasites of sucking pests can be used to control their populations. For instance, spiders, ladybugs, and lacewings prey on sucking pests, while tiny parasitic wasps can lay their eggs inside the pest, limiting its multiplication. Even birds like swallows can help reduce the number of pests, as they too feed on these insects.
2. Cultural Control
Cultural control refers to methods of pest control that use common cultural practices to help manage pests. These can include methods such as crop rotation, intercropping, use of resistant cultivars, timely planting and seedling transplantation. Crop rotation, for example, helps break the life cycle of pests and diseases as it involves growing different crops in different seasons on the same land. Intercropping of rice with legumes like cowpea and soybean can help provide the necessary nitrogen to rice plants and deter pests.
3. Chemical Control
Chemical control is a popular method of controlling pests, involving the use of synthetic pesticides. However, this can have an adverse effect on the environment and human health. Therefore, it is essential to select the right pesticide and use it judiciously. One method to reduce the damage caused by pesticides is the practice of integrated pest management (IPM), which involves using a combination of cultural, biological and chemical controls to reduce pest populations.
4. Physical Control
Physical control methods include trapping, handpicking, and removal of infected plants. Traps can be used to attract and trap pests like the Brown Plant Hopper. Handpicking of infected plants is also an effective method of controlling pests, as it can help to remove the breeding source.
5. Natural Control
Natural control methods include the use of natural substances like neem oil and garlic. These substances have been found to be effective in controlling sucking pests in paddy crops. Neem oil is effective against whiteflies and thrips, while garlic extracts can help control aphids and whiteflies.
In conclusion, sucking pests can cause significant damage to paddy crops, reducing yield and affecting the livelihoods of farmers. However, by using a combination of biological, cultural, chemical, physical and natural control methods, farmers can manage sucking pests and achieve higher yields. Integrated pest management practices can help reduce chemical inputs and promote a sustainable environment.