Rice Planthoppers

The book discusses planthopper pests of rice. These insects are the most destructive pests, threatening food security around the world. The historical development of the rice planthopper problem shows that they are secondary pests and single-discipline control tactics or strategies are not able to manage them, and instead can cause frequent outbreaks. This book not only presents new approaches to this persistent problem, but also new ecological methods, new perspectives on the effects of pesticide marketing, insights into developing resistant varieties and structural reforms in pest management systems. Integrating biological, ecological, economic and sociological aspects, it clearly presents the latest information on newly developed strategies for managing these pests. Dr. K.L. Heong was an insect ecologist and a principal scientist at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. He is now a senior advisor in the Centre for Agricultural Bio-Sciences, South East Asia in Malaysia. He has been researching rice planthoppers for more than 30 years. Dr. Heong is a fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia. Professor Jiaan Cheng is an insect ecologist who has been studying rice planthoppers for about 50 years. He is a professor at Zhejiang University, China. Professor M.M. Escalada is a communication scientist who has been studying farmers’ pest management decisions and practices for more than 25 years. She works at the Visayas State University in the Philippines.