and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

90 PI:S'ICIDE MANAGI'ENTIIN AND HPM IN SOUTIIEAST ASIA
the BPII congregates, resulting in ineffective control of the pest. Furthermore,
the pesticides will kill some species of tile natural enemies inhabiting the foliage
(Nishida 1975). Both GLII and WBPII may also increase in closely spaced rice
plants. In direct seeded rice, where spacing is much closer than transplanted rice,
these pests may become more severe. Close spacing would also be expected to
intensify the severity of rice diseases.
Spacing should be such that it allows some sunshine to penetrate into tile
basal port'ons of tile rice plants. Solar and ultraviolet radiation restrain BPII
increase (Suenaga 1983). More air flow also makes the microenvironment less
humid and may also help the natural enemies develop. The distance between rice
plants depends on the variety. Modern rice varieties with high tillering capacity
may be planted further apart than those with less or moderate tillering capacity.
In Indonesia the usual spacing between rice plants is 20 x 20 cm or 25 x 20 cm.
The complex relation:;hip of plant spacing - disease/insect - environment should
receive more attention by researchers.
CONSTRAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR TIIEIR REMOVAL
Various socioeconomic and technical constraints are evident when cultural
control methods are implemented, particularly with respect to synchronized
planting and crop rotation, as follows:
I. Water is available in abundance, which tempts the farmer to plant at any
time of tile year.
2. Synchronized planting, which should be followed by simultaneous
harvesting and drying of the field, results in labor shortages despite the
active participation of all members of tile farmer's family.
3. As a result of synchronized planting and harvesting, there is a sudden
over-supply of rice in the market, resulting in significantly reduced rice
prices. To avoid this, farmers prefer not to plkmt rice simultaneously.
4. There are problems of' post-harvest technology, e.g., drying, transport,
threshing and storage.
5. Not all farmers understand the advantages of synchronized planting and
crop rotation.
6. In some places, the existing farmers' organization is still very weak.
Most of the members do not comply with group decisions, particularly
with respect to synchronized planting and crop rotation.
7. Cheap input energy policy, i.e., highly subsidized pesticides, tends to
encourage the farmers to only rely on peslicidal controls rather than
cultural controls.
8. Promotions of the legally used pesticides are carried out very intensively
through field (emonstrations and billboards.
9. Limited numbers of qualified extension workers hamper the continuous
'training and visit" programs for larmers.
The provincial government has introduced a detailed guide for synchronized
planting and crop rotation at the village level, in an effort to overcome the above
constraints. Along with this, there is a program to group farmers into small
units of farmers' associations, each consisting of about 50-150 farmers called