Economic comparison of rice blast disease control methods from the point of view of experts and farmers of Langrod city

Academic Thesis for Master's Degree

Field: Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Management Orientation

Abstract

Rice is one of the major crops of Gilan province and plays an important role in the income of rural households. The amount of rice yield is threatened every year by various factors such as pests, diseases and weeds. Blast disease is one of the most damaging diseases of rice and every year it causes a decrease in the quantity and quality of the crop in the fields in the north of the country, and in the meantime, farmers mostly use chemical methods to control the disease. Nowadays, due to the dangers of chemical poisons on human health and the environment, more emphasis is placed on agricultural and biological methods to control rice blast disease, and since biological control is not used in Gilan province, in this research, the economic comparison of two common chemical and agricultural methods in the paddy fields of Gilan province (Langerud city) has been considered. An economic comparison of two agronomic and chemical control methods was made between 33 experts and 373 rice farmers of Langrod city, and random sampling method was used for this purpose. The data collection method was a questionnaire and the collected data were evaluated by SPSS software. Also, the level of social penetration, technical knowledge, social participation, promotion activities and the level of importance to the environment of the respondents were investigated and in the economic part, the benefit-cost ratio method was used to determine the most economical method of disease control. Also, the comparison of individual, agronomic and economic characteristics of two groups of farmers using agronomic and chemical methods by the Kaido statistical test showed that there is no significant relationship between gender, age and experience of rice farming with the selected control method by the respondents, but there is a significant relationship between the level of cultivation and the control method at the statistical level of 0.05. In addition, there was a significant difference between the opinions of experts and farmers regarding the control method of rice blast disease, so that experts recommend a combination of control methods, but most farmers use chemical methods. In addition, the current research showed that based on the prices of 2013 and considering the costs of crop control compared to chemical control per hectare of rice cultivation, crop control can be economically replaced by chemical control.

Key words: rice blast, economic comparison, crop control, chemical control.     

Chapter One

Overview and introduction

1- 1- Introduction

Rice is one of World class food products. In English it is called Ice/paddy, in Arabic it is called Irz, in Persian it is called rice and in Urdu it is called chawal. Its scientific name is Oryza sativa. Rice is a plant from the Gramine family. (Wasim, 2002) Rice cultivation, which plays an important role in feeding hundreds of millions of people around the world today, has a history of seven thousand years in China and India. It is believed that the origin of the most common type of rice is the continent of Asia. Rice is the main crop of important crops in developing countries, and it accounts for more than a third of the world's population. 90% of the total rice production is from Asia and the civilizations of this region have a deep connection with rice. Rice grain contains 7.7% protein, 75.2% non-nitrogenous substances, 0.4% fat, 2.2% cellulose and 0.5% ash. The digestibility of rice is far more than that of potatoes, wheat, milk and other food products (Noormohammadi et al., 2009). In terms of nutritional value and the amount of calories produced, rice is superior to most of the foods consumed by humans. The digestibility of organic matter of seed without shell is about 92% and its protein digestibility is about 86%. More than 70% of the world's rice is cultivated in humid subtropical regions of Asia and only small parts of dry regions are devoted to its cultivation, however, rice production in some semi-arid regions, especially in countries with Mediterranean climate, such as the United States of America, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Italy, is important, because in these regions rice is beyond its economic importance, in terms of the fact that it can be cultivated in salty and salty soils.More than 70% of the world's rice is cultivated in humid subtropical regions of Asia and only small parts of dry regions are dedicated to its cultivation, however, rice production in some semi-arid regions, especially in countries with Mediterranean climates, such as the United States of America, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Italy, is important, because in these regions, apart from its economic importance, rice plays an important role in the improvement process of these soils, in terms of the fact that it can be cultivated in salty and salty soils. (Noormohammadi et al., 1389).

The first measures for dryland rice cultivation in Australia at the end of the 19th century failed. Later, rice cultivation played a major role in the development of these areas. The severe climatic conditions also led to the creation of special types of rice such as mountain rice or rice planted in deep waters. As a result of the intervention of human factors and environmental selection, various varieties that were resistant to water salinity or alkalinity or the cold air at night gradually emerged. The numerous varieties of rice obtained in this way were a valuable genetic treasure of germplasm that should be preserved with the current and future breeding program (Noormohammadi et al., 2009). In Africa, rice is the main food of the people of Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone and has replaced other grains such as sorghum, millet and corn. So there is an increase in demand for it. This increase in demand is accompanied by the increase in population and the amount of production does not meet the needs of the people. (Seck et al., 2010)

The best rice growing area is between 45 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees south latitude. Rice grows better in high temperature and high humidity. An optimal temperature of 20 degrees Celsius is required during the growth period. (Wasim, 2002)

In Russia, rice has been developed in principle and scientifically due to the expansion of advanced automatic irrigation methods. The yield of rice has reached 3.5-4 tons per hectare. In the past, labor cost was the only cost of production. The costs of chemical control of diseases, pests and weeds led to an increase in yield to 3.4-4.8 tons per hectare and a reduction in labor consumption to 60-120 man-hours per hectare. But the use of pesticides and poisons has many environmental risks. In order to improve the growth of rice, the use of pesticides by airplanes should be completely avoided and methods such as the use of varieties resistant to pests and diseases should be used (Tchebotaryov et al., 2004).

According to the latest reports of the World Food Organization based on the tables of 2013, rice production has only grown by 1.1% since 2012 and increased from 5 million tons to 7.8 million tons, which is for the main countries The producers are China, Pakistan and the Philippines. FAO forecast of rice trade this year is 37.5 million tons. Iran and South Africa are the main importers and Brazil, China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are the main exporters of rice (Table 1-1) (Figure 1-1). (Anonymous, 2013)

Nowadays, sustainable agriculture is emphasized in most societies. Sustainable agriculture relies more on the productivity of farmers and takes into account the conservation of soil, water and other natural resources. Soil fertility, creating healthy communities and providing opportunities for future generations are also considered as other components of sustainable agriculture (Allahiyari, 2011). In order to realize sustainable agriculture, its three basic elements, which are environmental protection, favorable social conditions and economic profitability, must be observed. Economic success must be achieved without spoiling soil, water, air, natural landscapes and native flora. In most cases, due to the lack of knowledge and discernment, the use of basic water and soil resources has been excessive, and intensive agriculture has been one of the biggest threats to soil stability (Kirimi, 2008). In order to achieve sustainability in agriculture, special methods such as minimum plowing, management of nutrients, crop rotation, integrated management of pests, diseases and weeds, effective use of agricultural species and cultivars should be used (Kirimi, 2011). Currently, most of the rice farmers in Gilan province spray their paddy fields against rice blast disease and do not have proper knowledge of biological control methods. Agricultural Jihad experts have only paid attention to the biological control against the rice stemworm pest, and despite the great damage caused by the rice blast disease in the northern fields of the country, no measures have been taken regarding the biological control of this disease.