Control effects of two-batch-duck raising with rice framing on rice diseases, insect pests and weeds in paddy field

Rice-duck farming system is one of the means of organic rice farming, in which the weeds, diseases and insects could be effectively controlled with minimal or no pesticide and herbicide application. Whereas in conventional rice-duck farming system the controlling effect on diseases, insect pests and weeds was slowly disappeared after the rice heading stage at which ducks were driven out of the paddy field. To fill up the blank period of pasture activities of ducks, this study put forward two new rice-duck farming systems innovated from the conventional rice-duck farming system, in these new systems, two batches of ducks were raised with rice within one rice planting season. The results revealed that the overall controlling effect of ducks on rice diseases, insect pest and weeds was significantly enhanced in the two new rice-duck farming systems without agrochemicals application. It might be suggested that these two new systems have potential application as biocontrol agent for the organic rice agriculture. © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2012.