Crop protection risks in perennial crop management in plantation

Management of pests and diseases of perennial crops such as oil palm, rubber and cocoa would to a large extent be dictated by the economics of the control measures employed. Among the parameters to be considered are the perceived potential crop losses, production level and commodity prices. Unfortunately, there is no straight-forward approach for asessment of crop protection risks that would also consider the long term effects, bearing in mind that these crops have economic cycles of 25 to 30 years. Nevertheless, plantation management would have to adopt a pragmatic attitude to evaluate the threat posed by a multitude of pests and implement appropriate measures promptly. The decision making process and some of the strategies adopted will be discussed