and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

6 PItS'IICIDI" MANAGIMIEN'I" AN') IPM INSO'I'IlEAST ASIA
Economic Threshold Levels
The determination of realistic economic threshold levels that relate crop
damage to pest population tiensilks is basic to !PM. Economic thresholds
should be used only when non -cheinical control methods are ineffective to
suppress pests. Economic thrcshola level, for most imoportant rice pests have
been determined. When BPill nmbers on susceptible rice varieties are 10, 25,
and 50 per hill at 14-18 da)s, 35-63 days, and booting and ripening stages
respectively, pesticide treaunent is nccessary. On resistant rice varieties, the
threshold is twice that of the s.sceptible varieties (Soekarna 1981). The
threshold levcl for the yellow rice stemborer Scirpophagaincertulas is 10% plant
damage at maximum tillering stage, or one egg cluster per 16 hls (1 m 2 )
(Soejitno 1976). The nwcst proper time to control gall midge Orseoliaoryzae is
when there are 5% "silvcrshoot" before maximum tillering (Soekar.a 19,),).
The economic threshold for Leplocorisa oratorits lies between 2 and 5 insects
per in 2 of paddy field (Oka et al. 1983). A preliminary threshold of 0.5
GLI/sweep in the early vegetative stage of rice (transplanting to 30 DAT) is
recommended when RTV is endemic in the area (IRRI 1979). This will avoid
unnecessary pesticide applications fand fixcd calendar schedules, and therefore
matrkedly reduce the freq(mency of treatment.
PESTICII)E RE(G ILATIONS
P(:sticide regulations deal with various aspects of pesticide management,
usually starting with regitration, permits, safe. handling and use, storage,
transport, disposal, and sanctions to violators. A number of Southeast Asian
countries have established their own pcsticide regulations dealing with aspects of
production, registration and use of pesticides. Basically, these legislation are in
conformiy with the FAO guidelines (FAO 1985). Table 1 presents data on four
countries in Southeast Asia, their respective legislation and rules, and the
administering authorities.
In Indonesia, Government Decree no. 7 is enforced by the Pesticide
Commission. The Chairman of the Commission is the Director of Food Crops
Protection under tile Ministry of Agriculture, and the members of the
Con-mmnssion are experts from research institutes, and the Departments of Health,
Libor, Trade, and Environment.
Viemnam recently establishsd a pesticide quality control laboratory within the
Ministry of Agriculture (Bateman & Watt 1985), as a first step towards better
pesticide naiagement.
One weak point in e,,istjug pesticide regulations in Southeast Asia is,
perhaps, not so much the content of tie regulations, but their enforcement. This
is due to various factors such as lack of well-trained personnel to enforce the
provisions of the regulations; inadejuaie physical facilities (pesticide residue
laboratories, quality control); lack of or inadequate public awareness of the
dangers of pesticides to human beings and the environment; ignorance of most