The national average productivity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) in Sri Lanka (445 kg/ha) is far below than the attainable yield (1000 kg/ha), which may have an association with pest and disease incidences. Pest and disease incidence was hypothesized to be correlated with awareness of farmers, agronomic practices that implemented in the field, weather parameters, and scale of farming. Hence, better understanding on these relationships is essential for planning a crop management package to increase the cinnamon yield. This study was thus, carried out to investigate the occurrence of pest and disease complex in cinnamon ecosystem, and its’ association with yield level and agronomic practices carried out in cinnamon fields. A detailed field survey was carried out in Galle, Matara, Ratnapura, Kalutara and Hambantota districts of Sri Lanka visiting 260 cinnamon lands during February to May 2013. Information was collected by interviewing the farmers, and making field observations. Significant negative correlations (r = -0.668; p<0.05) were observed between the yield of cinnamon and incidence of wood borer (Ichneumoniptera cinnamomumi;) and rough bark disease (Phomopsis spp.; r = -0.655). Vertebrate pests such as barking deer and peacocks were making a significant damage on the new shoots that appear after harvesting. In addition, ten occasional pest and disease incidences and several minor pest and diseases were observed during the study period. There was a positive correlation between the severity of pest and disease incidence and the overuse of fertilizer and mammoty weeding. A negative correlation was observed between the pest and disease incidence and selective pruning, harvesting in short intervals (4 – 6 months), and slash weeding. Agronomic practices that had negative correlation with pest and disease incidence should be promoted through farmer awareness programmes. The results suggest upgrading the cinnamon crop management package to include these practices.

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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature on the professional development of educational administrators in the world, based on empirical and theoretical evidence with special reference to educational administrators and school principals in several countries. Design/Methodology: An interpretative analysis on literature covering professional development, pre-service training, in-service training programmes, mentoring, models of education leaders, coaching and the history of education in Sri Lanka and also the background information of the Education Administrative Service in Sri Lanka is carried out. Findings: Training and professional development date back to several centuries and it was found that the influence of imperialists, mainly the British was dominant in the Sri Lankan modern education system and professional development programmes. Sri Lanka continues to implement training and development with the least changes in contents and scopes compared to the past. It was further found that authorities paid little attention to the effectiveness of the training and development but rather were concerned about the compliance requirements. At present, education leaders undergo training programmes, and improvements in leaders are also seen at varying degrees. The study finds that educational leaders who are good at leadership skills and competencies produce better results in terms of both students’ performances and school management. However, though the use of technology in training was trivial, the need for more sophisticated, comprehensive, and sustainable training for educational leaders for better performance is highlighted. Practical implications: Provision of training and development is perceived by authorities as a practice and not as a key driver of improving school performance and effective management. The outcome of the study can be used to further enhance and implement professional development and training programmes for educational leaders with an outcome-oriented approach. Therefore, the findings will help lay a foundation for policymaking and their implementation can be broadened to enhance the quality of education in Sri Lanka.

Purpose: Sticky traps are effective for monitoring and managing insect pests. In addition to pest insects, beneficial insects are also caught in sticky traps. Hence, it is necessary to use traps to catch pest insects selectively. The attraction of different insect groups to coloured sticky traps was studied as an attempt to suppress the insect populations selectively in the field. Research Method: Sticky traps: yellow, blue, luminous green, white, and transparent (control) were set in the field for 24 hours, and the insects caught in traps were collected and identified by their ecological role: pests, beneficial and neutral insects as well as the taxonomic group in relation to the trap colour. Findings: Significant variation was found among the total numbers of insects attracted to different colour traps (χ2 =107 df=4 P<0.05). The highest number of insects was found in the luminous green trap (29.1%) followed by yellow (22.0%), white (18.8%), blue (17.9%), and transparent (12.2%). All colour traps attracted pest, beneficial and neutral insects. Data was inconsistent to specify trap colour to catch more pests and less beneficials. More dipterans (40.7%) were attracted to traps, and many of them were neutral. Blue-traps caught less number of neutral (29.1%) and beneficial insects (29.4%) compared with other coloured traps. Originality/ Value: The behavioral response of different insect groups to colour was demonstrated. As sticky traps catch both beneficial and pest insects, sticky traps should be used under careful monitoring.