Desk Report: Scientists and researchers concerned have viewed that eco-friendly rat management can be vital means of protecting many beneficial insects together with maintaining a sound environment, the Asian Age.
They have revealed that the farmers destroy various species of the insects during the time of eliminating the destructive ones due to lack of adequate knowledge in this regard.
The farmers conventionally apply rodenticide killing many non-target beneficial animals and birds, they say.
They were addressing a daylong farmers training on the issue of eco-friendly integrated pest management.
Vertebrate Pest Management Division of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute organised the training at its local station of On Farm Research Division (OFRD) in Rajshahi on Thursday.
National Agricultural Technological Project under the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council financially supported the programme with the main thrust of disseminating modern practical knowledge among the farmers so that they can manage rats in a eco-friendly integrated way.
VPMD principal scientific officer Shah Alam, principal investigator of the project ATM Hasanuzzaman, OFRD senior scientific officer Nur-E-Alam Siddiqui and its scientific officer Jahedul Islam conducted the training sessions as resource persons disseminating their expertise on the issue.
Shah Alam says integrated rodent management in wheat and rice faring through eco-friendly control techniques is very important in order to address the problem of food grain loss caused by rat.
VPMD has been implementing a project titled ‘Eco-friendly Integrated Rat Management’ in order to address the problem.
He said the project encourages the farmers towards using trap with applying a little amount of rodenticide to control rat in environmental friendly means only when necessary. If this method is practiced properly, about cent percent desired result can be attained.