1 IPM of Insect Pests and DiseaseIntegrated Pest Management IPM of Insect Pests and Disease
2 What is IPM? Integrated Pest Management is a sustainable approach to controlling insect pest populations that combines PAMS Prevention Avoidance Monitoring Suppression Combination of strategies that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks. I PM is combination of strategies in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks. CSREES/Land-Grant University Definition (1998)
3 IPM Approaches Integrates numerous compatible control strategies to maximize population stabilization Critics of conventional IPM (Integrated Pest Management) say that this approach is reactive and simply suggests alternatives that lead to the eventual use of pesticides as a last resort – they contend that the understanding of the ecological basis of pest infestations is missing from this approach.
4 Prevention Various practices that keep pests from infesting a production site (i.e. field, orchard, or greenhouse) Examples Using pest free seed or transplants Field sanitation Eliminating alternative hosts Let’s look at the principles of IPM – over the next few slides.
5 Avoidance When pests are already present in the general area, but pest impact can be minimized through various cultural practices. Crop rotation Crop choices Trap crops Adjusting planting schedule Early planting, late planting, not planting Resistance traits Fast maturing varieties
6 Monitoring The key component to any IPM programProper identification of pest – know your enemy Monitoring program Traps Weather monitoring Soil testing, when appropriate Record keeping Pest incidence and distribution in each field
7 Suppression To avoid economic loss, population suppression technique may be necessaryBiological Control Mating disruption Pheromone Sterile release Conservation Augmentation Chemical/biopesticide control Considered a last resort Evaluate Cost to benefit ratio Cultural practices No-till or strip till Cover crops or mulches Companion planting Physical suppression Baited or pheromone traps Exclusion devices Row covers
8 Problems with pesticides: The pesticide treadmillResistance Resurgence Secondary pests Residues Resistance: Pesticide use exerts a powerful selection pressure for changing the genetic make-up of a pest population. Naturally resistant individuals in a pest population are able to survive pesticide treatments. The survivors pass on the resistance trait to their offspring. The result is a much higher percentage of the pest population resistant to a pesticide. Resistance to insecticides is so common — more than 500 species — that nobody is really keeping score (2). Resurgence: Pesticides often kill off natural enemies along with the pest. With their natural enemies eliminated, there is little to prevent recovered pest populations from exploding to higher, more damaging numbers than existed before pesticides were applied. Additional chemical pesticide treatments only repeat this cycle. Secondary Pests: Some potential pests that are normally kept under good control by natural enemies become actual pests after their natural enemies are destroyed by pesticides. Mite outbreaks after pesticide applications are a classic example. Residues: Only a minute portion of any pesticide application contacts the target organism. The remainder may degrade harmlessly, but too often water, wind, and soil will carry pesticides to non-target areas and organisms, affecting the health of human and wildlife populations. Public concerns over residues are deepened by the lack of research and knowledge about possible synergistic interactions between pesticide residues and the hundreds of other synthetic chemical residues now found in the environment.
9 What does Resurgence and Resistance look like?The above charts show pest resurgence and pest resistance . You can read more about these in ATTRA’s publication on Biointensive Integrated Pest Management.
10 The Basic Elements of an IPM Program Know crop growth cycle Know the pest Combine methods Attack the weak link Monitor Preserve beneficials Understand the biology and economics of the crop or resource. • Identify the key pests and learn their biology and life cycle. • Consider using combinations of methods and materials to manage pests. • Direct control practices at the weak link in the life cycle of key pests. Monitor fields regularly and systematically • Use control methods that preserve and enhance naturally occurring beneficial organisms.
11 Planning an on Farm IPM ProgramEcosystem management Cultural control Information resources Monitoring program Record keeping An economic threshold- the insect's population level or extent of crop damage at which the value of the crop destroyed exceeds the cost of controlling the pest. Considerations Ecosystem management I.E., Beneficial habitat Cultural control Plant varieties/cropping systems selection Varieties with resistance to major pest Information resources Know your county agent Monitoring program Pest & beneficial identification! Record keeping Field maps ID problem spots Know your management options Organic different from conventional Do you have the resources to implement those options?
12 Cultural Control Varieties/Cropping SystemDevelopmental rate Planting dates/harvesting dates Crop rotation
13 Cropping Systems Sequential production Cover cropControl achieved through various planting methods: Multiple cropping Sequential production Interplanting Cover crop Intercropping Two or more crops on the same land at the same time Strip cropping Cultivars should: Be resistant to major pest(s) Have appropriate mode of resistance Be appropriate for the area Be commercially available Have a market (a concern with some genetically modified crops)
14 Biological Controls Conservation of naturally occurring methods of population stabilization Predators Parasitoids Augmentation of organisms that will help to stabilize population of pests
15 Plants to Attract and Feed Beneficial InsectsUmbelliferae family carrot, yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, dill, anise, fennel, coriander, parsley Compositae family zinnia, marigold, aster, daisies, mums, black-eyed susan, coneflower, Coreopsis Mint family and Perennial herbs mints, thyme, sage, oregano, bee balm, basil Other plants salvias, wallflowers, nasturtiums, poppies, etc. goldenrod Farmscaping is the concept of “the creation of habitat to enhance the chances for survival and reproduction of beneficial organisms as applied to a farm operation.” Many of the beneficial insects are small insects that feed on small flowers like those on plants of the carrot and mint families. wild carrot dill
16 Augmentation: Predator/Parasite releaseMany parasitic or predatory insects can be purchased for biological control. See the references on your assigned readings for sources.
17 Mechanical/Physical controlsRow covers Hand picking Sticky boards Plant collars
18 Insecticides Chemical pesticides BiopesticidesBiochemicals Synthetic pesticides with properties of natural substance Biopesticides Bacteria Fungi Viruses Many implications for use in organic systems
19 Monitoring of pest populationsRandom Samples: a measure of the total population Scouting fields Hand lens Random samples Trapping Pheromone traps Light traps Pit fall traps Sticky traps Various methods of scouting and monitoring pest and benficial insect populations. Sweep Net Vacuuming Beat sheets
20 Trapping Visual trap Lure trap Pheromone trap Pheromone trap
21 Pests and Beneficials Pair up and review the information sheet on the selected pest or beneficial insect. Present back to the group: If a Pest: What is the life cycle of the insect? What plants does it typically impact? What are some management and control methods If a beneficial: What is the life cycle of the insect? What plants or other insects does it typically impact? What are some methods for attracting or propagating the beneficials?