1. A sequential assessment of WSD risk factors of shrimp farming in Bangladesh: Looking for a sustainable farming system.
- Author
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Hasan, Neaz A., Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul, Hinchliffe, Steve J., and Guilder, James
- Subjects
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SHRIMP culture , *SUSTAINABLE agriculture , *RANGE management , *RISK assessment , *FARM management , *POULTRY farms - Abstract
White Spot Disease (WSD) caused by White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), is responsible for widespread mortality and economic losses across almost the entire Asian shrimp farming industry. The distribution of disease prevalence is however uneven, and is likely dependent on a range of management, environmental and socio-ecological factors. In this study, 233 farms were surveyed in southwest Bangladesh, the main shrimp farming zone, to produce a dataset from a range of pond types, culture techniques and farming practices. Four categories of data (site/farm characteristics, environmental variables, disease history, and management variables) with associated risk factors were selected following the development of a conceptual framework and a participatory rural appraisal tool. Factors potentially contributing to WSD prevalence in the current shrimp crop were first screened using univariate analysis and subsequently analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression to highlight significant risk factors. Association of the selected factors with WSD prevalence was examined using multivariate stepwise removal. The multivariate analysis revealed that farms operated by a tenant worker (p: 0.03), mixed use of fertilizer (p: 0.009), poor quality water source (p: 0.001), lack of reservoir for water purification (p: < 0.001), and frequent exchange of water during a single crop culture (p: < 0.001) were significantly associated with WSD prevalence. The results suggest that, where possible, better farm management practices including improving water quality, controlling water exchange and/or maintaining constant salinity, will reduce WSD prevalence. Unlabelled Image • WSD is responsible for widespread mortality and economic losses in shrimp farming. • Multivariate analysis of risk factors linked to shrimp farming (N = 233) were done. • Tenant worker operated farms using mixed fertilizers were more susceptible to WSD. • Moreover, poor quality, frequent exchange and lack of reservoir of water caused WSD. • Quality source, controlled exchange and constant salinity of water can reduce WSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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