Integrated Pest Management

3. History of IPM
Humans formed villages & started planting food
crops.
Pests became a problem-attacked them & their
crops.
Humans learned pest control - physical & cultural
practice tillage to expose & eliminate soil insects
timing of planting, crop rotation pruning, dusting
with sulfur

4. Physical & cultural methods refined & used into the late
1800’s
Improved crop protection methods = increased acreage
Equipment became larger & faster = larger acreage
Monoculture replaced diversification

5. Pest problems
Search for more effective pest control measures
The age of chemical research started: Late 1900’s to 1940’s
Use of physical & cultural controls
1) Use of pesticides 2) Pest resistance 3) pest problems
In the mid 1940’s: DDT, organochlorines, OP’s &
carbamates discoverved.

6. Why is IPM Important?
Global population is on rise
and therefore so is
FOOD DEMAND
THIS MEANS
FARMERS MUST
Increase yield
Protecting biodiversity and
looking after the environment
IPM provides farmers with tools and
strategies to
Sustainably
MAXIMIZE
PRODUCTION
And Minimize losses due to insects, weeds and
diseases And due to insects, weeds and diseases

7. Benefits of IPM
■ Improved crop profitability due to better pest control
measures and appropriate use of crop protection products
■ Stable, reliable and quality crop yields
■ Decreased severity of pest infestations
■ Reduced potential for problems of pest resistance or
resurgence
■ Increased consumer confidence in the safety and quality
of food and fiber products

8. IPM Components
PREVENTION Prevent the build-up
of pests Includes a range of practical
strategies that suit local conditions.
 MONITORING Monitor crops for
both pests and natural control
mechanisms Involves scouting for
pests (insects, diseases and weeds)
to determine if, when and how
intervention should occur.
INTERVENTION Intervene when
control measures are needed Involves
physical, biological and chemical
methods to preserve the economic
value of crops with minimal effects on
the environment.

9. Prevention
CROP LOCATION Growing crops in locations where they are best
suited to climate, soil and topography provides them with optimal
conditions from the start. Appropriate land preparation builds on
these conditions.
VARIETY SELECTION Choosing beneficial crop varieties, such as
those with disease and pest resistance, has always been a cornerstone
of IPM.
STRATEGIC PLANTING AND CROP ROTATION Planting similar crops
alongside each other can substantially increase pests and should be
avoided if possible.
SOIL MANAGEMENT Mechanical, physical and cultural crop
protection methods prevent or minimize pests as well as reduce their
build-up and carryover from one crop to another. For example,
traditional ploughing (“tillage”) turns the soil and buries crop residue
and weeds before the seed bed is prepared for the next crop.

10. OPTIMIZING PLANT NUTRITION In order to maintain or improve
soil fertility, these nutrients have to be replaced with mineral
and/or organic fertilizers. These products must be applied at the
right time in the correct amounts to optimize soil health.
 HARVESTING AND STORAGE Carryover of weed seeds and
disease-causing organisms can be reduced with good harvesting,
seed cleaning and storage methods.
 PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY Protecting natural habitats near
farmland is the best way to conserve biodiversity, including many
natural pest enemies.

11. Monitoring
Observing crops determines if, when and what action
should be taken to maximize crop production and quality.
Management of any crop requires routine inspections to
assess how well plants are growing and what actions need to be
taken from seeding to harvest

12. Intervention
Reducing economically damaging pests to acceptable levels
may involve cultural, physical, biological and chemical control
measures individually or in combination.
These techniques, such as weed control by tractor cultivation
or disease control by removing infected plant debris, should be
assessed for their impact on plant roots and yields as well as
their requirements for labor and energy.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL Using beneficial
insects to control pests works best when crops are
grown in controlled environments like greenhouses
and plastic tunnels and other practices like

13. ■ Selective trapping techniques to monitor the movement of
pests or changes in their populations during the season
■ “ Lure and kill” strategies to attract the pest to insecticide
deposits and reduce the need for overall crop spraying
■ Mating disruption that slows population build-up to delay or
reduce the need for control treatments
CHEMICAL CONTROL Chemical crop protection products
(pesticides) are biologically active chemicals that control a
range of insect and vertebrate pests, diseases and weeds. They
are often the most cost-effective way of controlling infestations
as part of an IPM strategy.

14. IPM Strategies and Tools IPM includes the development and use of
chemical, natural, biological and biotech products for pest control. It
may also involve computer-aided sampling and decision-making as
well as improved farm equipment.
Farmers are the primary decision-makers in IPM programs.
Individually or collectively, they have to decide how to manage all
pests that may damage crops. The role of the plant science industry is
to provide access to a wide range of useful technologies, products,
services and as much information as possible on their characteristics,
costs, specificities and optimal use strategies. Most farmers will
combine different IPM tactics and tools.

15. SETTING AN ECONOMIC THRESHOLD The extent of economic losses
can vary significantly between seasons, depending on weather conditions and
other factors. Since the severity of pest infestations varies, it is generally far
better to monitor pest populations or the damage they cause before deciding to
use a crop protection product or other intervention. Once an infestation has
reached an “economic threshold”—the point at which the pest population level
causes losses greater than the cost of controlling the pest.
Farmers need simple methods for quickly determining whether a pest
population in a crop is likely to cause economic damage. Local knowledge can
be used to help develop practical methods acceptable to farmers. In some
regions, it may be possible to develop local databases to assist in making
decisions on an area-wide basis.

16. PROTECTING NATURAL ENEMIES Conserving natural enemies of pests is
an important part of IPM and helps to prevent pest resurgence. The effect of a
crop protection product or other intervention on both pests and their natural
enemies needs to be considered. Timing product application to periods when
natural enemies are not active.
Research should also assess the importance of weeds and other local plants that
may encourage survival of beneficial species at field edges.
Populations of beneficial species can recover quite quickly, even when broad-
spectrum products are used and particularly if they are easily degradable. This
occurs with the migration and recolonization of sprayed areas from refuge areas
at field margins. It is also possible to physically limit the impact of broad-
spectrum products; part of a crop area can be left untreated to allow natural
enemies to survive and recolonize the treated areas.

17. SELECTING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS In developing an IPM program with crop
protection products, it is essential to review product characteristics, applications and
costs, then select the ones that provide the most cost-effective treatment with minimal
undesirable effects.
USING PRODUCTS RESPONSIBLY AND SAFELY
Every crop protection product should be used according to manufacturer
recommendations. These are designed to provide reliable control under
normal field conditions. They also provide instructions on how to handle
and apply the product safely. Recommended doses should be used to control
pests and prevent them from developing resistance to products. Guidelines on
the appropriate storage, transport and disposal of unused products and empty
containers should also be strictly followed.
Mindful farming practices, such as directing crop protection spray to the undersides
of leaves where insects are located, can better control pests.

18. PREVENTING PEST RESISTANCE TO CROP PROTECTION PRODUCTS
IPM offers a range of ways to reduce the risk of resistance developing. This
includes monitoring pest populations, applying treatments when the economic
threshold is reached and implementing strategies, such as alternating or mixing
compatible crop protection products or biotech seeds with different modes of action.
To prevent or delay the onset of resistance, farmers or pest control advisors need to
understand target pest biology and ecology; the efficacy of the crop protection
product and the pest’s sensitivity to it, product usage patterns; local cropping
systems; and the availability of alternative pest management options, including
biotech, chemical, biological and cultural controls.

19. Plant Science Industry and IPM
.
THE PLANT SCIENCE INDUSTRY SUPPORTS IPM
IMPLEMENTATION through research, development,
technology transfer, education and training.