The four-day international Conference on Pest Management in Rice, which
is the subject of this volume, was the third in an ongoing series of
meetings on tropical crops organised by the Pesticides Group of the
Society of Chemical Industry, London. The participants came from both
the public and private sectors and from many different countries. All
the major groups of pests-weeds, microorganisms, arthropods and
rodents-were considered, as the organisers believe that it is necessary
to address the total pest management problems in each particular growing
area, and the variety of the papers indicates the importance of a multi-
disciplinary approach to their solution. Rice is one of the most
important world crops and is the major source of food for around 60% of
the world's population, with a world production of 500 million tonnes
from 150 million hectares of land. Since world stocks amount to only two
months supply, many people are at risk from famine. Moreover, it has
been esti- mated that the world requirement in 2020 will be about 760
million tonnes, an increase of 50%. This pressure of population on food
makes efficient pest management vital and is the reason for bringing
together experts from all over the world to this major conference.