| Integrated Pest Management |
Integrated pest management (IPM) is essentially the utilization
of all suitable techniques and methods of pest control in an as
compatible a manner as possible to suppress pest levels to below
those causing economic injury. By this method, over-dependence
on any one method, e.g., the use of pesticides is avoided, leading
to control being more sustainable. Components of IPM encompass
cultural, physical, chemical and biocontrol methods.
Since the early
1980s, intensified research into IPM has yielded encouraging results
in the control of insect and rodent pests in oil palm. Advances
have also been made in management of Ganoderma basal
stem rot in the crop.
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Control of Oryctes rhinoceros
Oryctes rhinoceros, as has been indicated in the section
on zero burning, is a severe pest in such replants. A combination
of fore-described cultural, chemical and biological control is
now being used in an integrated manner to successfully manage
outbreaks of the pest.
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Bagworms and Nettle Caterpillars
Bagworms and nettle caterpillars are opportunistic pests that
can devastate large areas of oil palm if not detected and treated
early. Early detection is achieved by carrying out
regular inspection and counting of pest numbers in the field. Action
is taken to control the pests by use of selective insecticide application,
e.g., trunk injection or spot spraying with pyrethroid or Bacillus
thuringiensis formulations once when an economic threshold
level of pest population is exceeded.
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More proactively, methods of direct or indirect biological control
are utilized. Direct biocontrol involves the use of non-occluded
spherical and granulosis viruses and Cordyceps entomopathogenic
fungi for control of nettle caterpillars. Predatory pentatomid bugs
such as Cantheconidea furcellata and Platynopus melacanthus are
also mass bred for release into fields.
Indirect biocontrol is achieved by the cultivation of nectariferous
plants like Euphorbia heterophylla, Cassia cobanensis, Antigonon
leptopus and Turnerasubulata in and around infested
fields. These plants encourage populations of parasitoids and predators
of bagworms and nettle caterpillars by providing them with nectar
and shelter. The increased populations of natural enemies would in
turn exert biocontrol on the pests. |
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Rat Control
Rats, if uncontrolled, can bring about at
least 5% loss of crop in oil palm. These pests were traditionally
controlled with poison baits with potential undesirable secondary
effects. |
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For biocontrol of rats the use of the
barn owl Tyto alba has been implemented. By setting up
owl boxes at an intensity of 1 box per 10 hectares of oil palm
in a regular grid, success in biocontrol was achieved. Owls have
been recorded to suppress fresh fruit damage by rats to below the
economic threshold of 5% for the past 12 years without having to
use rodenticide baits. |
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Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot
The basal stem rot (BSR) of oil palm
caused by Ganoderma boninense is the most serious
disease of oil palm in Malaysia. Under severe infestation situations,
more than 50% of oil palm stand can be lost to the malady. |
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Effective cultural and biological control
methods have been developed to manage the disease. For the former,
the proper deboling and shredding of oil palm debris during replanting
and timely removal of infected palms in existing stands have brought
about effective management of disease inoculum. In prime-aged infected
palms, soil mounding has been shown to prolong productive life
of such palms. |
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Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) have recently
been experienced to be able to confer protection to nursery inoculated
palms that were subsequently planted in Ganoderma endemic
fields. Wide-scale use of AMF is expected to further delay if not
prevent infection of palms replanted on fields previously devastated
by Ganoderma. |
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The fore-going IPM practices have clearly
freed oil palm planting from over-dependence on the use of pesticides
thus greatly increased susatainability of oil palm cultivation. |
