Green Pest Control Key to Sustainable Paddy Farming

Picture: Maureen Beresford

In an article by Macaranga, Chloe Holley writes the sustainable pest management practiced by farmers in Tanjug Karang, Malaysia

Similarly, biological control has been attempted in Malaysia in the past. In the 1950s, the parasitoid Paratheresia claripalpis was introduced to prey on the stem borer Chilo polychrysus, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

However, growing Turnera has been successful in Malaysian agriculture, namely in oil palm plantations. There, it attracts the natural enemies of pests such as parasitoids, increasing the number of these natural enemies, which would then attack the pests. In the same way, they have worked well against paddy pests in the Tanjung Karang rice fields.

Nonetheless, it is important to consider that this is an introduced species from South America and to be wary of the potential ecological impacts that come with non-native species. For example, introduced species have been known to outcompete native species because they can tolerate various environments and are unlikely to have natural predators; some are also toxic and can harm native wildlife.