Selection of flowering forbs for conserving natural enemies in rice fields

Effects of Vegetation Strips, Fertilizer Levels and Varietal Resistance on the Integrated Management of Arthropod Biodiversity in a Tropical Rice Ecosystem

“…The benefits of using vegetation strips in rice production have been highlighted in several recent studies [14,15,16,17,21,57]. Furthermore, ecological mechanisms underlying some of these benefits, particularly as they relate to the natural regulation of rice pests, have been elucidated through laboratory and greenhouse studies [41,42,58].…”

“…Realization of the negative effects of fertilizers and pesticides, and the role of enemy-free space in initiating outbreaks of rice pests, has recently placed biodiversity management at the forefront of public research into rice crop protection. Over the last decade, research institutes in several Asian countries have initiated and/or completed projects aimed at enhancing regulation services provided by the natural enemies of rice pests, particularly planthopper and stemborer pests (e.g., China, Thailand and Vietnam [14]; the Philippines: [5]; Indonesia [15], India: [16]; and Bangladesh: [17]). The results from many of these projects have been generally positive.…”

“…The results from many of these projects have been generally positive. For example, comparative studies have indicated that planting rice levees (known as bunds) with strips or patches of nectar-producing flowers increases natural enemy abundance and/or reduces pest incidence [14,16,17,18,19]. This can lead to a reduction in insecticide applications [14,20] and increased rice yields [14,17].…”

Flora surrounding rice fields as a source of alternative prey for coccinellids feeding on the pests of rice

“…The changes in their seasonal abundance showed that the populations on the crop and weeds were associated with seasonal changes in the spatial availability of prey, with weeds acting as a good reservoir for coccinellids during the lean season when prey is less abundant on rice. Selective conservation of the surrounding fl ora can enhance the fi tness of natural enemies and lead to more effective pest management (Gurr et al, 2010;Shanker et al, 2013b;Horgan et al, 2016). Simple techniques for conserving non-crop fl ora will enhance the presence of native natural enemies and help create healthy and sustainable ecosystems and a possible reduction in the use of insecticides.…”

Escaping the lock-in of continuous insecticide spraying in rice: Developing an integrated ecological and socio-political DPSIR analysis

“…In many of its recommendations similar to the rapidly spreading System of Rice Intensification SRI (Glover, 2011;Basu and Leeuwis, 2012;Burney et al, 2010;Satyanarayana et al, 2007) it includes withholding insecticide applications in the first 40 days after sowing to avoid disturbances of the available biocontrol potential, but adds actively supporting biocontrol by planting suitable, nectar-rich plants on the paddy dykes to serve as shelter and food for biocontrol agents such as egg parasitoids of the genus Anagrus, the mirid egg predator Cyrtorhinus lividipennis and the water predatory bug Microvelia douglasi atrolineata. The ecological engineering approach has been demonstrated to be effective in experimental fields in China, Thailand and Vietnam, demonstrating the applicability of the management concept in day-to-day practice (Escalada et al, 1999;Huan et al, 2008;Gurr, 2009;Gurr et al, 2011aGurr et al, ,b, 2012Lou et al, 2013;Shanker et al, 2013). Besides reducing harvest losses it is effectively reducing input costs (especially insecticides) and helps save time for other purposes such as husbandry (Escalada and Heong, 2004).…”