WARDA IPM project
02: Integrated management of soil-borne insect pests in
rice-based production systems
Duration: Started 2004; a rolling programme
Purpose: To minimize losses due to soil insect pests
in upland rice through sustainable management of termites.
Background/description: Upland rice and other cereal crops are most at risk
from soil-inhabiting insect pests termites and aphids in soil already
depleted of its fertility. Damage results in lowered translocation of water and
nutrients, increased susceptibility to pathogens, and wilting, leading to
reduced vigour or increased mortality. The abundance and distribution of soil
insect pests is affected by soil characteristics, cropping practices and
efficacy of control measures. Resource-poor farming households are unable to
purchase the inputs necessary to reverse yield declines in the short term and
lack knowledge of traditional practices to exploit resources internal to their
production system. Improved understanding of the interactions between rice
crops and soil biota will contribute to integrated control of termites and
other soil pests in rice-based cropping systems.
Agroecozone(s) and
location(s): Rainforest, Derived savanna, Guinea savanna, rainfed upland in Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra
Leone in West Africa
Expected outputs: a) The diversity
of termites in rice production systems understood; b) Management components for
termites in rice-based cropping systems identified and evaluated; c) NERICA
(New Rice for Africa) varieties with resistance/tolerance to termites identified
and disseminated.
Potential impact and beneficiaries: The main
beneficiaries will be researchers and extensionists of NARS working on
sustainable rice production in Africa. However, the ultimate beneficiaries are
the resource-poor farmers in developing countries who rely upon rice production
and who currently suffer an estimated 10% yield loss to soil insect pests.
Partners: a) NARES from IER (Mali), NCRI (Nigeria), CNRA (Côte
d’Ivoire), RRS (Sierra Leone) and NARI (The Gambia); b) World Agroforestry
Center; Bamako, Mali
Development
investor(s): WARDA
WARDA
contact person(s)/principal investigator(s): Francis E. Nwilene F.Nwilene@cgiar.org Website: www.warda.cgiar.org