1. Integrated Pest Management
IPM

2. Define “Pest”

3. Definition of “Pest”
(1) any organism that interferes with the activities and desires of humans or (2) any other form of terrestrial or aquatic plant or animal life or virus, bacteria, or other micro-organism which the Administrator declares to be a pest.

4. A Working Definition of “Pest”
An injurious and noxious or troublesome living organism [that] does not include a virus, bacteria, fungus or internal parasite that exists on humans or animals
Includes insects, weeds, plant pathogens, birds, non-human mammals and other organisms which pose non-medical problems to humans and non-veterinary problems to animals

5. A pest must cause injury
In order for an organism to be considered a pest, a damaging stage of the organism must be present in high enough numbers to cause actual injury to something valued by people.

6. How do pests become pests?
New crop introductions
New organism introductions
Production system practices
Removal of limiting factors
Low tolerance

7. The Pest Complex
The specific collection of pest species attacking a specific commodity or cropping system at any given time and location.
A given complex is divisible into different “groups”:
Invertebrates (arthropods, molluscs)
Vertebrates (mammals, fish, birds)
Weeds (perennials, summer/winter annuals)
Plant Pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes)

8. Organisms that cause economic damage are the ones of interest in pest management

9. IPM Defined
IPM – A system that maintains the population of any pest, or pests, at or below the level that causes damage or loss, and which minimizes adverse impacts on society and environment.
Attempts to balance the benefits of pest control actions with the costs when each is considered in the broadest possible terms.

10. Two Basic Decision Categories in IPM
Most Control Decisions Combine One of Each of the Following:
Tactical vs. Strategic
Tactics – Individual control options
Strategies – Combinations of Tactics
Preventative (Prophylactic) vs. Curative (Therapeutic)
Preventative – Before pest is a threat
Curative – When pest is threatening

11. IPM Strategies are Implemented Via Programs
Programs include pest monitoring and decision tools
Monitoring & decision tools tie into the strategy.

12. We can manage pests using IPM
IPM includes:
Education
Habitat Modification
Sanitation
Exclusion
Mechanical Controls
Biological Controls
Chemical Controls

13. IPM Strategies Education Habitat Modification
Teaching about pests and how to manage them through presentations, posters, displays, educational materials
Habitat Modification
Changing a pest's environment to make it undesirable to the pest

14. IPM Strategies Sanitation Exclusion
Keeping things clean and reducing clutter
Exclusion
Keeping pests out by screening windows, sealing holes, etc.

15. IPM Strategies Mechanical Control Biological Control Chemical control
Trapping pests
Biological Control
Using natural enemies to kill pests
Chemical control
Using low-toxic pesticides. These chemicals kill pests but impose some risk to humans

16. General Impact of Pests -- Injury
Consumption of plant parts
Chemical toxins, elicitors, and signals
Physical damage
Loss of harvest quality
Cosmetic damage
Vectoring of pathogens
Direct contamination

17. General Impact of Pests – Non-injury
Costs incurred to implement controls
Environmental and social costs
Regulatory costs (embargoes, quarantines, shipment costs, etc.)

18. Crop Injury in More Detail
Tissue Injury
Leaves
Structural
Roots
Flowers and Fruiting/Reproductive Tissues
General Systemic Injury
Weed Effects
Competition for Water, Light, Nutrients
Other Economic Effects

19. Structural Tissue Injury
Galls (may be on any tissue)
Interference with transport
Xylem injury
Phloem injury
Interference with structural support
Shape/appearance impact
Abnormal growth
Shoot dieback

20. Galls
Can occur on all tissues; leaves, stems/trunks, branches, roots, etc.
Ash flower galls caused by a mite
Galls on oak leaves from cynipid wasps
Olive knot gall (caused by Pseudmomonas bacteria) on olive main trunk
Western gall rust on Ponderosa pine branch
Soybean roots with galls from root knot nematode (right) vs. healthy root (left).

21. Pest Videos