Effective application of IPM on crops

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a new pest control method applied by people in Son La province, helping to reduce production costs, reduce the amount of pesticides, ensure workers' health, improve productivity, quality, and increase profits per unit of cultivation.

Passion fruit growing model of Bao Sam Agricultural Cooperative, Chieng Luong commune, Mai Son district.

With the goal of transferring science and technology in integrated pest management on crops, minimizing the dangers caused by the abuse of chemicals, especially pesticides, to human health, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 03/KH-UBND dated January 5, 2021 on the implementation of the Integrated Pest Management Program for the period 2021-2025 in Son La province. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development directed units in the industry, coordinated with the People's Committees of districts and cities to propagate, train and develop human resources; pilot a number of IPM application models on tea, rice, fruit trees, vegetables, etc.

The Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection has just deployed an IPM application model to cultivate 1.5 hectares of cabbage at An Tam Cooperative, Muong Sang Commune, Moc Chau District and the family of Mr. Trang A Tong, Hua Tat Village, Van Ho Commune, Van Ho District. The Cooperative members and households were supported by the Department with over 1.1 tons of fertilizers and various pesticides; organized 2 training courses, transferring IPM integrated pest management techniques to 60 farmers in Moc Chau and Van Ho districts, focusing on selecting varieties, planting and care techniques, fertilizing, using natural enemies to prevent and reduce damage caused by pests; cleaning the fields, preventing pests and diseases according to the motto of prevention is better than cure. In addition, the Department organized for the Cooperative and farmers to visit the fields at households implementing the model to evaluate the effectiveness and share experiences.

After receiving fertilizer support and technical guidance, members of An Tam Cooperative followed the technical procedures for vegetable care, divided the proportion of plants reasonably per unit area, cared for, and fertilized in a balanced and correct dosage. In particular, they regularly visited the fields to detect and prevent pests and diseases in a timely manner. The first cabbage crops implementing the IPM model grew well with few pests and diseases.

In 2023, the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection deployed the "IPM application model for passion fruit cultivation". After more than 1 year of implementing the IPM model on passion fruit in Chieng Luong commune, Mai Son district, with a scale of 5 hectares, it showed that the amount of chemical fertilizer used was reduced by 15-20% compared to traditional cultivation; density and rate of pests and diseases were 20-30% lower; the rate of grade 1 fruit that meets the standards for export to Europe reached 20-30%, sold at 30,000-40,000 VND/kg; the standard type for market use accounted for 30-40%, priced at 18,000-21,000 VND/kg, 15-20% higher than traditional cultivation; productivity reached 18-20 tons of fruit/ha.

From 2021 to now, the whole province has deployed 11 IPM application models on fruit trees, citrus trees and cabbage in all districts and cities. The Department of Agriculture has organized training courses for nearly 200 farmers. The application of IPM measures in production contributes to significantly reducing the amount of pesticides used for crops. According to statistics, the amount of pesticides used by farmers was about 757 tons in 2017, decreasing to about 300 tons in 2023. The biggest common point is that these models all contribute to changing farmers' production thinking, towards developing high-yield agriculture, on the basis of limiting pesticide residues, building a sustainable ecologically balanced agriculture.

According to Plan No. 03/KH-UBND on the implementation of the Integrated Pest Management Program, by 2025 the province will expand the area of IPM application on crops. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to coordinate in building models, guiding farmers to understand and apply the IPM program on the fields, thereby spreading the application of IPM widely.

Faced with increasing market demands, promoting the application of IPM is considered the key to promoting effective and sustainable agricultural production, creating many quality, clean and safe agricultural products.