Head of Balitbangtan Haryono said in Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday that based on the climate prediction of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the climate condition this year would be similar to that in 2010 when the population of brown planthoppers exploded at the end of December.
"If there is extreme difference between the rainy and dry seasons it would cause the presence of planthopper pest, and therefore it should be kept watch," he said on the sidelines of a working meeting of the Balitbangtan.
However, he said, it was possible that planthoppers attack on rice fields this year would be lower than that in the previous year. It has been detected that the attack of the pest was not too serious in a number of rice production centers in Java`s northern coastal areas like in Sukamandi and Ciasem of Subang.
(SYS/A014)
Editor: Suryanto
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