Agriculture Notes IPM – Integrated Pest Management IPM involves the use of not one but several different methods of pest control

IPM Goals Select a combination of nonchemical methods and, if necessary, less harmful chemicals for pest control Not to eliminate pests, but instead to keep pests populations below a economic/action threshold Economic/action threshold – the level of infestation or damage that a crop can tolerate without an unacceptable economic loss

IPM techniques Resistant varieties – varieties of crops that are resistant to attack by a specific pest. Resistant varieties can be produced through artificial selection or genetic engineering. Example – apples that have been bred to be resistant to apple scab

Apples afflicted with apple scab

IPM Techniques Beneficial insects – using natural predators to control a pest’s population. Example – parasitic wasps ugs-animals/bees-and-wasps/wasp_parasitic/ ugs-animals/bees-and-wasps/wasp_parasitic/ Microbial pesticides – using microscopic organisms to control a pest’s populations Example – Milky spore

IPM techniques Birth control, example – Sterilizing male insects. When the male insects mate with untreated females, the females lay eggs that do not hatch Biochemical pesticides – naturally occurring substances that control pests by nontoxic methods. Example – Japanese beetle traps work because they contain a chemical that smells like a female beetle

Japanese Beetle Traps are baited with sex attractants called pheromones

IPM Techniques Cultivation practices – timing the planting and harvesting of crops to reduce damage caused by pests Synthetic pesticides – IPM allows for the use of synthetic pesticides. IPM does not rely on synthetic pesticides and attempts to use less dangerous/toxic pesticides Computer programs – Data driven application of pesticides

Pros of IPM -Biological controls are usually cheaper than chemical controls. -Using IPM is often not as environmentally harmful as using pesticides alone. -Biological controls often kill only the target insect (and not the “innocent” ones that may be beneficial to humans). -Using IPM does not encourage the development of resistant pests as much as using chemical pesticides alone. -Using IPM is a more sustainable form of agriculture

Cons of IPM Using an IPM program requires a greater understanding of the pests and the environment than using pesticides alone Often involves significantly more time and money than using pesticides alone Natural enemies of pests can sometimes become pests themselves