Rice is a staple food in Asia, which produces and consumes 90% of the world rice harvest. It faces increased pest and disease outbreaks due to climate change, causing 37% yield loss and jeopardizing farmers’ livelihoods. In 2021, Asia used 980 kilotons of pesticides, 8% more than in 2020 (FAO, 2023). Excessive use of pesticides has led to reduced biodiversity and natural biological control, high pesticide residues, rapid pest resistance, secondary pest outbreaks, environmental pollution, and ecological imbalance. The traditional dependency on chemical pesticides is economically and environmentally unsustainable. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a holistic alternative, promoting the use of pest-resistant rice varieties and biological, physical, and chemical control methods.
This e-course is designed to disseminate innovative IPM knowledge and skills for effective, eco-friendly pest management techniques and technologies for sustainable rice production.
Course Objectives
The main objectives of this course are:
This e-learning course will cover the following modules:
Module 1: Introduction to IPM principles in rice cultivation
This module explains the importance and advantages of IPM. Strategic aspects of the implementation of IPM including different IPM tools are discussed.
Module 2: Rice weed and insect pest prevalence across Asia
In this module, the diagnostic characters and habitats of weeds, identifying characteristics of insects with their seasonal infestation, and damage symptoms in rice plants are explained.
Module 3: Diagnosis of rice disease incidence and epidemiology
This module provides a list of the important fungal, bacterial, nematode, and viral diseases, crop stage-based disease occurrence, diagnostic symptoms of different diseases, and favorable environments for diseases.
Module 4: Insights into the development and management of pesticide resistance
This modules highlights the causes of pest and/or pesticide resistance, pest resistance mechanisms with examples, and how pest resistance can be minimized.
Module 5: Exploration of innovative IPM practices for safer rice farming
This module describes weed, insect, and disease control strategies. Some innovative ways considering cultural, physical, and biological tools as well as economic threshold (ETL)-based pesticide use for insect and disease control are discussed.
Important Notes:
Participants who register to take this course and pass the final examination with a score of 70% or higher will be eligible to receive the APO certificate. Please note that the final examination can be taken only once. Therefore, the most appropriate time to take the examination should be chosen carefully. The self-assessment quizzes are for personal evaluation only and are not related to the final examination results.
Participants who perform well in this course and receive the APO certificate will be given preference, on a merit basis, for selection to attend follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects on similar topics, when nominated by their NPOs and if slots are available.
Notes 1 and 2 are applicable only to participants from APO member countries. Participants from nonmember countries are welcome to take the course for self-improvement, although they will not have an opportunity to attend the follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects.
Each module is in a prerecorded video format in which the expert delivers presentations by explaining each slide. Participants can access the video by clicking on the link provided under the title of each module.
Rice is a staple food in Asia, which produces and consumes 90% of the world rice harvest. It faces increased pest and disease outbreaks due to climate change, causing 37% yield loss and jeopardizing farmers’ livelihoods. In 2021, Asia used 980 kilotons of pesticides, 8% more than in 2020 (FAO, 2023). Excessive use of pesticides has led to reduced biodiversity and natural biological control, h...
The course will cover the following modules:
Dr. Tahmid Hossain Ansari is a distinguished rice researcher specializing in rice pathology. Since November 199..