E546 Vol. 2. Pest management Plan ANDHRA PRADESH COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT

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1 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized E546 Vol. 2 ANDHRA PRADESH COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT Pest management Plan The Background: The proposed Project (APCFMP) seeks to alleviate rural poverty through improved forest management. It seeks to achieve this objective through a threepronged strategy of creation of enabling environment for community forest management, community development and investments on forest management. The project lays emphasis on indigenous and naturalized species and no introductions are planned. Therefore the risk of importing new pests does not arise. The interventions proposed are time tested and silviculturally sound so as to sustain the biodiversity of forests. Insects and microbes are integral components of forest dynamics. However, under certain conditions they adversely affect attainment of objectives such as tree growth and survival, wood quality, wildlife habitat, recreation, scenic value, provision of forage for domestic animals and cultural resources. Many a times pests also improve the quality and value of the wood as in the case of teak skeletoniser which improves the ornamentation of grains by slowing down the growth and color by inducing production of secondary metabolites. However, such an eventuality is incidental and is not induced. Similar is the situation regarding diseases caused by Fingi, Bacteria, Virus and other Microbes. Owing to their diverse nature, the forests in Andhra Pradesh in general and the forests in the Project sites in particular are not threatened by any Pests and Diseases. The homeostasis in the forest ecosystems provides the required balancing act especially in the case of diseases. In the context of the present paper, the expressions 'Pest', 'Pest management' etc. include, management of insect and non-insect pests and diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses and other microbes and similarly, 'Pesticide' includes chemicals used to control insect and non insect pests and disease causing fungi, bacteria, viruses etc. Good management includes use of appropriate species and provenances to meet prevailing environmental conditions and end use requirements, and planting materials of optimal physiological and genetic quality, coupled with good silviculture. The strategy

2 for implementation of the APCFM would be based on such an ecologically and economically sound pest management plan. It is designed as an integral part of forest management, and includes both prevention and suppression strategies. Emphasis is on understanding the underlying causes of outbreaks, pest monitoring and maintaining or gradually improving the overall health of forests, rather than on controlling pests once they have become a problem. In forestry practices particularly in Andhra Pradesh use of pesticides, fungicides and bactericides is limited to nurseries where they are rarely used for foliar application against leaf defoliators. Soil fumigants and certain "organo mercurials" are used for prophylactic treatment in areas infested with soil borne insects like termites and grubs and fungal diseases like wilt and damping off. These are the areas where pesticides are likely to be used in the proposed Project activities. Among all the forest management initiatives proposed under the project, use of pesticides would be only in respect of nursery activity and activities connected with artificial regeneration. Out of 315,800 Ha of forest area that is proposed for treatment, an area of only will be treated by artificial regeneration. Thus use of pesticides if any will be confined to only 3.4% of the area which is too meager an area to have any significant impact or abuse of environment due to excessive pesticide use. Their use in nurseries is also minimal to have any significant impact. Pest management and management of diseases caused by Fungi, Bacteria and Viruses and other microbes does not find prominence in forestry in general as explained above. However, as the Project also aims at Community Development of the target groups, as a fall out o this initiative, owing to improvement in productivity of agricultural lands, there is likelihood of intensive farming practices and consequently greater focus and need for management of pests and diseases. This more a spin off and not an intended outcome. Therefore Pest Management Plan should also meet the demands of such eventuality.

3 The proposed project does not finance or support any pesticide as part of any project activity. However, the pest management plan has been developed to ensure that any anticipated induced impacts of the project more in the form of spin-offs like increased use of pesticides due to intensified agricultural practices among the land owning members of the communities supported through this Project, intensive plantation activity owing to economic reasons etc. are adequately addressed during and beyond the Project implementation. This plan is completely consistent with concepts of organic farming and promotion of integrated pest management. Commonly occurring diseases are: Disease Symptoms Chemicals used for control 1. Damping off Decaying of seeds, collar, root, wire Terrazole, Copper disease caused stem root rot, leaf rots. Rots are sulphate + quicklime by Pythium always soft. Phytopthora etc. 2. Grey Mould Develops rapidly when dead or dying Benzimidazoles and caused by tissues are left in contact with stems Captan. Good spacing Botrytis and leaves, if plants are closely spaced and aeration are and lack aeration. It results in soft rot recommended. covered with grey coloured mould. 3. Downy Mildews Yellowing of the leaves associated Zineb; Maneb etc. Keep with a bluish haze due to the sporing the susceptible plants as flmgus. Most prevalent under cool, dry and warm as most conditions possible. 4. Powdery Dense white powdery layer of spores Benzimidazoles and Mildews on leaf surface. They are encouraged sulfur compounds. by shaded warm conditions Good aeration and spacing to avoid shaping is recommended 5. Rust Eruption on the leaves or stem. The Zineb spore colour ranges from yellow, orange, red, brown to black. The surface of eruption is powdery 6. Alternaria leaf Leaf spots Zineb, Maneb spots 7. Stem or Collar The vascular wilt results in yellowing Benlate rot from the base of the plant up and can be detected by cutting the stem or root length-wise when reddish brown discoloration of the vascular will be seen

4 Commonly occurring pests are: Type of Insects Damage Chemicals used for control (trade names) 1. Caterpillars Chew the leaf tissue. Sevin, Dipel, Dipterex (larvae of moths or butterflies) 2. Aphids Sap-sucking insects which attack young Rogor, Malathion plant tissues, clustering along the stems and leaves. 3. Scale insects Sap-sucking insects which cover White oil, Malathion (Sedentary). themselves with a mantle of wax like material which may be white or brown. The pest is vulnerable to chemical control only, when the larvae have just emerged from beneath the adult females and are free moving. 4. Mealy bugs Scale-like, sap-sucking insects. The Monocrotophos females form a mass of mealy-coloured or white fluffy material, into which the eggs are laid. 5. Termites Cause damage to young seedlings in the Metasystox nursery, but they are usually a more serious problem when the seedlings are planted out. 6. Cut worms Inhabit the soil by day, and attack Selvin, Carbaryl (moth larvae) young seedlings above ground level by sprays. night, often biting through the stems just above the soil surface. 7. Rodents Inhabit the soil by day, and attack under Soil fumigants. ground parts of even grown up plants. Mostly storage pests. The Approach: The three fundamental goals of integrated pest management plan are (1) safety, (2) cost effectiveness and (3) durability. All the three of these goals are kept in view in developing the pest management plan, which is appropriate in a forestry situation Efforts will be made to ensure that use of Pesticides is within the tolerence limits. For this massive information campaign on optimal dosage and usage of Pesticides, is must. This will be dovetailed in the Capacity Building and Training strategy of the Project. Safety is ensured with a total systems approach designed to have minimal adverse effects on non-target species and the environment. Though biological control can

5 be an eco friendly option, it has limitations of specificity. Further such measures are not available for many of the known pests and diseases. There fore this option will not be widely used in the present instance. Producers will implement only those pest control methods that lower economic risks and enhance profits, they will insist on assurances that biologically based tools are cost-effective and provide consistent responses. They demand safe, economical, and effective tools that provide long-term management of pests. Alternative management strategies may indeed be less expensive than chemically based methods, but information to determine relative costs needs to be gathered and documented. Integrated Pest Management strategies also must be long lasting to have a positive impact on crop protection. Work by crop breeders to increase cultivar resistance to arthropods and pathogens are constantly being undone by pests that overcome the plant's resistance. As new pest-resistant cultivars are introduced into a cropping system, biotypes of organisms that overcome this host resistance can predominate. Similarly, pesticide resistance limits the durable use of chemical pesticides; and resistance of pests to biological-control products and organisms can also occur. Decreasing the pest's rate of development of resistance to new inputs is essential for the durability of Integrated Pest Management. Keeping in view the above facts and experience the following strategies are suggested to guard against any possible abuse of pesticides. These are in tune with the Integrated Pest Management Strategy followed under similar situations. > Building awareness about the health hazards of misuse and mishandling of chemical pesticides and the need for IPM > Building awareness about the use of IPM techniques > Building awareness and training for proper handling, storage, use/dosage, disposal of all pesticides and eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides only.? Collation and dissemination of appropriate indigenous technical knowledge > Promoting appropriate management practices and timely operations to ensure that the plant population in nursery and plantations are not exposed at vulnerable stage to

6 ' mammoth populations of pests Encouraging nursery and plantation activity cycle to avoid those stages when insect populations assume status of pests > Integration of IPM into Packages of Practices for the area. > Encouraging crop diversification to reduce vulnerability and building up of pest populations > Building partnerships with private sector and NGOs to assist in IPM extension services > Improving the information and knowledge base on pests, chemical pesticide use, banned chemical use, health impacts, IPM use and trends in a spatial context using GIS. > Development of promotional material, organizing dissemination of IPM through farmer field schools, extension workers and NGOs and documentation and feedback on IPM efforts > Organizing a reward and recognition system for farmers on an individual and collective basis to recognize the adoption of IPM. Planning and Implementation arrangements: The above measures will be mainstreamed as part of Environment Management Plan during the microplanning process of the Vana Samrakshana Samithies (VSS), which are the village level institutions to ensure a holistic approach. The Budget required will also be projected in the micro plans. Monitoring and Evaluation of Pest Management Practices will also be dovetailed in the overall Monitoring system of the VSS. Monitoring and Evaluation of Pest Management initiatives will be mainstreamed in the overall M&E Plan at Division, District and State level. The Social Development Specialist of the rank of Deputy Forest Range Officer/ Forest Range Officer at District level will monitor the implementation of the various components. At the state level, the Project Monitoring Unit will monitor the implementation of these activities.

7 Pest Management Plan Financial Requirements and Scheduling (Rs. 000) Units Unit Cost _ Phy Fin Phy Fin Ph Fin Phv Fin Phy -in Activity Capacity Development Seminars/ Workshops on MP No Study Tours (Community members) No Awareness Generation Division level meetings No (5/ times / year) Publicity Materials LS Radio/ Television Programs LS Dissemination LS Reward & Recognitions Scheme for farmers LS Pilot Pest Management Activities Technical Support LS Pilot experimentation LS Dissemination of best practise LS Collation of Indigenous knowledge