Abstract:
Cotton cultivation is one of the main sources of income for many producers in various agro-ecological regions of Mozambique. However, there are factors that contribute to the reduction of crop yield, of which pests stand out. Integrated Pest Management (MIP) has been disseminated in Mozambique. The present study aims to: Assess the level of adoption of IPM practices and analyze its effect on the current incidence of the main cotton pests. The research was carried out in the district of Morrumbala, Province of Zambézia, where it included 52 farmers, 26 of whom were farmers who established Fields of Demonstration of Results (CDR ́s) in the campaigns 2007/08 and 2008/09, in this study called “beneficiaries” and they were selected by targeted sampling and the remaining 26 producers who have not established a CDR, designated “non-beneficiaries”, were selected by stratified sampling. In order to assess the current incidence of the main cotton pests, direct observation (pest count) was carried out in 52 cotton fields of the aforementioned producers. The study showed that, in relation to MIP practices, cultural practices were the most practiced for pest control, during almost all 6 campaigns under analysis, by beneficiary farmers as well as by non-beneficiaries. However, the level of adoption of the new practices was low (3.8% of farmers used the practices for another 2 or 3 agricultural campaigns). The main cotton pests observed in Morrumbala were the American red caterpillars, where 60% of the observed fields were above the NED. The American caterpillar was the most abundant of the group of caterpillars, followed by the red caterpillar. Between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, there was no significant difference in the density of caterpillars and aphids, but there was a significant difference in the density of jassids between the two groups. The rotation did not show to have significant influence on the density of pests in the observed fields. There was no significant correlation between the number of chemical treatments and the density, the non-observance of other practices may have influenced this result. There was no significant difference between the application of pesticides based on the 7-day, 15-day, NED and conjugate schedule (15 days + NED). However, the concept or need to carry out a pest check / count before applying pesticides was adopted by some beneficiaries (around 27%) of “Compete”. However, the frequency of monitoring and the NEDs of the main groups of pests is still a major challenge. (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)
