Brown Planthopper: a Formidable Rice Insect Pest in Irrigated Rice Growing Areas and New Concept of Its Management

Abstract

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) is an important rice insect pest of central plain and lower northern region of Thailand, which continuously destroy rice production in those outbreak areas. According to the severely outbreaks, farmers always requested government subsidies. The cause of serious outbreaks came from high price of rice products that motivated the farmers' investment to increase productivity. Misused of insecticide application are affected rice field's ecology and also increasing the BPH outbreak situation. The gap of implementation of insect pest management to the farmers still have remained. If the farmers really understand and continuously practice, the rice yields could be escape from insects damaged. In practical, farmers didn't concerned. So that ecological engineering which is expected reducing the gap of knowledge, the concept is increased habitat biodiversity, providing shelter, food resources for natural enemies. Planting on bunds with beneficial flowers and cash crops is a step toward sustainable the insect pest management in rice production, especially could reducing the brown planthopper outbreaks in irrigated areas of central plain and lower north.