USE OF INTEGRA TED PEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BY THE FARMERS IN CROP CULTIVATION

Abstract

The purpose of the study were to find out the extent of use of Integrated Pest Management (TPM) practices by the farmers in crop cultivation, problems confrontation during using of LPM practices and to explore the relationships between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their use of IPM practices. Three union of Brahmanbaria sadar upazila of Brahmanbaria district namely Natai Uttar, Natai Dhakhin and Ramrail were selected for this study. A list of 600 farmers was collected with the help of Department of Agricultural Extension officer and Sub Assistant Agricultural officer of the concerned area. From the population, 100 farmers were tandomly selected as the sample for the study. Data were collected from the sample farmers by using an interview schedule during 2nd February to 51h March 2006. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, range and percentage were used to describe the variables under consideration. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to explore the relationships between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their use oflPM practices. The findings revealed that majority (57 percent) of the farmers were medium users of lPM while 39 percent were high and 4 percent of the respondents were low users of [PM practices. Among the twelve selected IPM practices, "various cultural methods like tillage of soil, variation in timing of planting, pruning or thinning; fertilization; planting of trap crop etc". ranked first in the order while "use biological methods to keep pest population below the economic injury level" ranked least. The findings also revealed that use of rPM practices by the farmers had significant positive correlation with their education, farm size, annual income, extension media contact, innovativeness, cosmopoliteness and knowledge on IPM while age had negative significant relationship. But the variable of family size and organizational participation had no significant relationship with the farmers' use oflPM practices. In respect of problems confrontation, the findings revealed that the majority (57 percent) of the farmers faced medium confrontation while 15 percent faced high and 28 percent faced low problems confrontation during of IPM practices in crop cultivation. Among the ten selected problems, "lack of quality seed" ranked first in the order while "criticize to other tanners for use oflPM practices" ranked least