Current Problems and Future Needs in Plant Protection in Rice

After the onset of green revolution in rice there was considerable accentuation of insect pest and disease problems. Although the extent of losses may vary and depend on several factors, the instances of complete loss of the crop due to one or two pests have been increasingly reported. As individual methods of pest control like chemical control, host plant resistance, biocontrol, cultural methods and insect sex pheromones have their own limitations, the concept of integrated pest management is gaining importance. Different approaches to Integrated Pest Management (IPM), such as philosophical approach, ecosystems approach and participative approach have been discussed, along with important practices to be adopted for effective pest and disease management in rice. Among the future directions for effective pest management in rice, the role of multiple resistant varieties to insect pests and diseases and utilization of genetic engineering and biotechnological tools have been emphasized. The biorational methods such as effective use of naturally existing biocontrol, avoidance of resurgence of insect pests and slow replacement of traditional insecticides by plant products, biopesticides and insect sex pheromones must be complementary to IPM programmes. Agroecosystem analysis and its use in development of location specific IPM programmes is discussed. The concept of “participative” or “bottom-up” approach rather than “prescriptive” or “top-down” approach has been emphasized for IPM programmes involving effective information dissiminations and human resource development.