Abstract
Keywords: Disease management, genetic diversity, rice interplanting, competition, resource complementarity, technical efficiency, production function, Magnaporthe grisea
The experience on rice blast in Yunnan Province, China, is one of the most successful and widely publicized examples of genetic diversification for disease suppression in practice. The wet, cool climate of the province is highly favourable for the development of rice blast epidemics. Before 1998, farmers had to spray fungicides three to eight times per cropping season to successfully grow a crop of glutinous or sticky rice. To reduce farmers’ dependence on these harmful agrochemicals, a team of scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Yunnan Agricultural University (YAU) initiated a project in Yunnan Province with the objective to explore the possibilities of using biodiversity as a means to control blast outbreaks, and through the associated increase in productivity and income, contribute to poverty alleviation.
This study focuses on the effects of the developed technology, i.e., interplanting one row of high-value, but blast-susceptible glutinous rice, with four to six rows of blast-resistant hybrid indica rice varieties, on blast management and the socio-economics, i.e., productivity and farm income, as a basis for explaining its adoption.
In a field experiment in Gejiu, Yunnan Province, it was shown that niche differentiation, leading to resource complementarity between the two rice varieties, was marginal and hardly increased the land productivity of the rice varietal mixtures. Prevention of lodging of glutinous rice appeared an important additional advantage of growing rice in varietal mixtures. Results of farm surveys involving both, adopters and non-adopters, showed that contact with extension workers and farmers’ perceptions of the technology-specific attributes of the rice varietal mixtures were the major factors determining adoption probability and use intensity. Adoption of rice interplanting resulted in increased technical efficiency. Longer farming experience and access to extension agents were both significantly positively correlated with technical efficiency.
The rice interplanting system in Yunnan has clearly shown that it is possible to combine modern and traditional rice varieties to control blast disease, attain acceptable crop production and provide high-quality food and income for the rural population. The Yunnan experience has also demonstrated that the best way to transfer a technology from concept to actual practice is to strengthen the links among research, extension, policy makers and farmer communities.
The experience on rice blast in Yunnan Province, China, is one of the most successful and widely publicized examples of genetic diversification for disease suppression in practice. The wet, cool climate of the province is highly favourable for the development of rice blast epidemics. Before 1998, farmers had to spray fungicides three to eight times per cropping season to successfully grow a crop of glutinous or sticky rice. To reduce farmers’ dependence on these harmful agrochemicals, a team of scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Yunnan Agricultural University (YAU) initiated a project in Yunnan Province with the objective to explore the possibilities of using biodiversity as a means to control blast outbreaks, and through the associated increase in productivity and income, contribute to poverty alleviation.
This study focuses on the effects of the developed technology, i.e., interplanting one row of high-value, but blast-susceptible glutinous rice, with four to six rows of blast-resistant hybrid indica rice varieties, on blast management and the socio-economics, i.e., productivity and farm income, as a basis for explaining its adoption.
In a field experiment in Gejiu, Yunnan Province, it was shown that niche differentiation, leading to resource complementarity between the two rice varieties, was marginal and hardly increased the land productivity of the rice varietal mixtures. Prevention of lodging of glutinous rice appeared an important additional advantage of growing rice in varietal mixtures. Results of farm surveys involving both, adopters and non-adopters, showed that contact with extension workers and farmers’ perceptions of the technology-specific attributes of the rice varietal mixtures were the major factors determining adoption probability and use intensity. Adoption of rice interplanting resulted in increased technical efficiency. Longer farming experience and access to extension agents were both significantly positively correlated with technical efficiency.
The rice interplanting system in Yunnan has clearly shown that it is possible to combine modern and traditional rice varieties to control blast disease, attain acceptable crop production and provide high-quality food and income for the rural population. The Yunnan experience has also demonstrated that the best way to transfer a technology from concept to actual practice is to strengthen the links among research, extension, policy makers and farmer communities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisors/Advisors |
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| Award date | 6 Jan 2009 |
| Place of Publication | [S.l.] |
| Print ISBNs | 9789085852551 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jan 2009 |
Keywords
- oryza
- rice
- magnaporthe grisea
- plant disease control
- genetic diversity
- interplanting
- crop production
- varieties
- cropping systems
- yunnan
- china
