Integrated Pest Management

an introduction

By
Suzanne Avtges
Jessica Matthews
Kim Vogt
John Gorrell
 Integrated Pest Management
 Defined as the harmonious use of multiple tactics to control
pests to a tolerable level
 Widely used to minimize loss to fruit, vegetables, field
crops, stored products and forestry
 Goal is to limit damage and minimize economic losses in an
environmentally acceptable manner
 It is recognized that no single approach can offer a
universal solution, thus the need for Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
 Knowledge and understanding the life history and mating
habits of the pest is essential
 Components of IPM
 Monitoring: Monitoring and tracking of existing
populations allows for early detection of infestation and
allows for better determining the quantity and timing of
any insecticides that may be used
 Trapping: Two strategies are to trap for monitoring
purposes or to reduce the number of insects present.
Capturing a large enough portion prevents injurious
numbers from infesting the area.
 Mating Disruption: Reduces the number of damaging
larvae and adults that will be present in future generations.
 IPM Methods
 Pest free planting  Biological agents
 Crop rotation  Physical removal
 Physical barriers  Ecological
 Natural predators management
 Trapping  Insecticides
 Genetically
modified plants
 Specific Methods
 Pest free planting - Assure plants are not infected prior to
planting. This minimizes the change for introducing new
pests to the area.
 Crop rotation - Plant a different crop every other year to
minimize adaptation of the pests.
 Physical barriers - Cover plants with material to block the
pests from the plants.
 Natural predators - Introduce natural predators that will feed
on the insects
 Trapping - Attract and trap the pest to physically reduce
their population in the affected area.
 Genetically modified plants - They have resistance to the
pest thus reducing damage that would be inflicted.
 Specific Methods (Cont.)
 Biological agents - Introduce natural agents to the area
that are harmful to the pests.
 Physical removal - Remove and dispose of the pests.
 Ecological management - Alter the environment to favor
the population of natural predators and minimize that of
the pest
 Insecticides - Apply chemical agents. This is normally
considered on of the least preferred methods due to coat
and environmental concerns.
 Note: See the last two references listed for a detailed IPM
of the cranberry worm.
 IPM in History
 8000 BC - Beginning of agriculture
 2500 BC - First records of insecticides (sulfur compounds)
 300 AD - First use of biological controls (predatory ants)
 1732 - Farmers grow crops in rows to facilitate weed removal
 1890 - Introduction of lead arsenate for pest control
 1896 - First selective herbicide (iron sulfate for broad-leaf weeds)
 1901 - First biological control of a weed
 1899 - Breeding program developed for cotton
 1929 - First area-wide eradication of an insect pest
 1942 - First successful plant breeding program for insect resistance
 1950 - First application of systems analysis to control pests
 1969 - Term Integrated Pest Management formalized
 1986 - Germany makes IPM official policy through Plant Protection Act
 Pheromone use in an IPM
 Baiting traps - Pheromones can be used to
attract and lure the unsuspecting insect
 Disrupting swarming - False signals can
be sent interfering with the pioneer’s call
to swarm vulnerable hosts
 Minimizing mating - Potential mates can
be lured away from the actual location of
the opposite sex reducing future off-spring
 Pheromones
 Highly volatile, unstable chemicals used by insects for
communications
 Over 100 commercially available for use in IPMs
 There are two types of pheromones (sex and aggregation)
 Sex - These are wide spread, well documented and are
designed to increase the probability of successful mating.
Well known in the order Lepidoptera (moths and
butterflies)
 Aggregation - Found in a number of insects. Most common
is order Coleoptera (beetles). Used for mate selection,
finding hosts and for defense
 Risks from IPM Methods
 Release of control organisms could attack non-targeted
species
 Genetically modified genes can poison non-targeted insects
 Surface and groundwater can be contaminated (pesticides)
 Harmful residues may remain on the plants (pesticides)
 Loss of resistance and effectiveness may occur
 Treated foods may pose health risks (genetically modified
or treated with insecticides)
 Genes may transfer to other plants with negative effects
(genetically modified)
 Release of natural predators could attack other plants and
animals creating more problems
 References
 www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/ipm.htm
 www.nysaes.cornell.edu
 www-pherolist.slu.se/pherom.html
 www.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/fcranfrw.htm
 www.aesop.rutgers.edu/~hamilton/lecture15.htm
 Summary
 An IPM program must be well researched prior to
implementation
 The researcher must have extensive knowledge of the pest
as well as the plants being protected
 Successful IPM programs saves billions of dollars each year in
crops
 Side effects such as environmental and health risks along
with economic costs must be prime considerations when
developing an IPM
 Natural pheromones play a vital role in most programs
 IPMs vary from the simple to the complex
 In one way or another, we have each benefited from the use
of IPM programs.