Md. Zakir Hossain has grown Aman rice on three bighas and set 42 bamboo sticks and tree branches in the field. Birds sit on them and catch harmful insects. The farmer, from Kalikapur village in Sharafpur union, Dumuria upazila, Khulna, set the perches at regular intervals about a month after planting. In other years he had to spray pesticides three or four times; this year he sprayed only once.

Like him, most farmers in Khulna are setting bamboo tops, sticks and branches in Aman fields to control pests, and many have planted dhaincha here and there. Farmers are pleased because they need less pesticide.

Agriculture officials say perching means planting branches in the field so that birds can sit and eat the moths, larvae and eggs of harmful insects. Drongos, mynas, bulbuls, shamas, magpie robins and jungle babblers mainly use the perches. The method costs almost nothing and is environmentally friendly.

• Dead perching uses dead branches; live perching uses living plants such as dhaincha and pigeon pea planted at set distances.
• At least one bamboo top, stick or branch should be set per decimal.
• Perches should be set right after planting and stand at least one foot above the crop's maximum height.

According to DAE Khulna, farmers used to be reluctant to go into the fields to set perches after planting, but because it helps and saves money, use is growing, and interest in live perching is rising too. Aman was grown on 91,880 hectares in the district this year, and 60 percent of fields are under perching, with efforts to reach 100 percent.

Dumuria upazila agriculture officer Mosaddek Hossain said Aman was planted on 15,213 hectares in Dumuria, 90 percent under perching and about 100 hectares under live perching, whose fallen leaves also add nitrogen to the soil. Light traps are also being installed to check for pests. In Dakop, farmer Jibon Mondol set 30 branches and sticks on four bighas; drongos and mynas are eating stem borer moths, pesticide use has fallen, and owls perching at night catch rats, whose heads are found on the ridges almost daily, according to farmer Mihir Mondol. Dakop upazila agriculture officer Mehedi Hasan Khan said Dakop has the district's largest Aman area, 18,825 hectares, 70 percent of it under perching.

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.