The population of green leafhopper and zigzag leafhopper at paddy cultivation in Merlimau, Melaka / Nurrul Shafika Abu Bakar

Rice (Oryza sativa) are the major sources of food to all the people. Malaysia is the major rice importer while Thailand and Vietnam are the major suppliers of the rice. Pests are responsible for huge economic losses to rice yields and different strategies are being developed against them to keep them at normal level. The main objective of this study is to identify the population insect pest at paddy cultivation in Merlimau, Melaka. The method used in this study is using yellow sticky traps. The research was observed at Merlimau, Melaka around five weeks. The data were collected ten times with nine replications. The result shows that the population of Nephotettix nigropictus and Recilia dorsalis are trapped the most at level three, the lowest level of trap. The result was analysing by using SPSS software and Microsoft excel. The factor of level of height trap affect the change of population of major insect pest of paddy. The characteristic of both insect pest is one of the factors in this research. They have an ability to fly high. It is the characteristic that cause these insect trap at level three. Other than that, the factor that makes the abundance of this insect pest is fertilizer application. This study able make farmers understand what kinds of insects are offensive their paddy field and able to adopt excellent farming practices and supporting the sustainability of world paddy manufacturing.