PM STRATEGIES FOR PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL IN INDONESIA: PROJECT OVERVIEW AND OUTCOMES FROM RECENT ACIAR-FUNDED RESEARCH

ACIAR is funding research and extension activities in Indonesia to assist with the development of IPM strategies for Indonesian pests and diseases. Various borer species provide some of the greatest threats to Australia’s sugarcane production system; research in Indonesia will lead to the development of Australian expertise in symptom recognition and an understanding of how to control these pests. Research is also being conducted into the various forms of sugarcane mosaic present not just in Indonesia but elsewhere in South East Asia. Incursion management plans will be updated as control measures are further refined during the course of these studies. General surveys conducted in over 930 individual Indonesian sugarcane crops highlighted the incidence of pests and diseases of significance. Further research is being conducted into the vectors transmitting mosaic and yield losses associated with this disease. Research is also being conducted into biological control measures for borers (Chilo or Scirpophaga species) using a range of either egg, larval or pupal parasitoids. Extension activities include demonstration plots, champion farmers, an Indonesian pest and disease field guide and various training days for farmers and factory field staff. This paper describes the work being undertaken and some of the latest outputs.