INTEGRATED PEST

MANAGEMENT (IPM)
Pest control strategies
Integrated pest management
• Integrated pest management (IPM) is a fundamental
and long-term crop protection approach to prevent and
combat pest infestations on agricultural lands
• Primarily, the term ‘pests’ relates to insects, but it also
applies to any other organisms that harm crops,
including birds, animals, weeds, and pathogens that
cause plant diseases.
Objectives of IPM
• Previously, pest management mostly relied on synthetic
pesticides. However, chemicals strongly harm people
and nature, as well as develop resistance in target
organisms.
• The goal of integrated pest management is to minimize
this harm and control acceptable infestation levels
rather than eradicate all undesired populations.
Benefits of IPM
Reduction of workers’ exposure to chemicals;
use of natural management methods with the least harm
to the environment;
minimization of water and air pollution;
elimination of land contamination, which boosts soil
fertility;
• prevention of resistance to chemicals.
How Does Integrated Pest
Management Work?
• Problem assessment is the way to start an IPM
program by deciding if the pest presence is dangerous
to crops. A correct understanding of the infestation
scope determines if the problem should be addressed.
• Pest monitoring and identification are the next
components of an IPM program because it is important
to realize if the organisms make potential risks and
decide on the integrated management options or the
specific pesticide use.
• Preventive measures intend to reduce infestations
• Prevention in integrated pest management may include
crop rotation, planting pest-resistant species
• Application of the most suitable integrated
management methods if prevention was ineffective.
Integrated management options in an IPM program start
with safer to more aggressive ones.
Steps in implementation of IPM
program
Monitor your crops regularly.
Take prevention measures.
Identify pests timely and assess the risks.
Decide on the necessity of actions and how IPM will work.
Consider and apply all appropriate integrated
management options.
• Analyze the results.
Integrated Pest Management
Methods
• The very idea of IPM is to use all the available
integrated pest management techniques in complex
and use strong treatment only when the previous
options don’t work.
METHODS OF IPM
• Cultural control
• Mechanical and physical control
• Biological control
• Chemical control
Cultural control
• It involves changes in farming practices to reduce pest
establishment
• IPM cultural methods include
• Soil treatment
• Crop rotation
• Use of trap plants
1-Soil treatment
• Favorable soil conditions speed up plant growth, and
vigorous crops are more resistant to infestations.
• In integrated pest management, soil testing helps
understand if the field is suitable for the production of
this or that crop, and then apply the lacking nutrients to
ensure plant healthy growth.
2-Crop Rotation
• Crop rotation is the practice of growing different types
of crops in the same field in a planned sequence over
several seasons or years, rather than planting the same
crop repeatedly.
• Reduces Pest and Disease Build-Up:
• Many pests and diseases are crop-specific. Rotating
crops interrupts their life cycles by removing their food
source.
3-Use Of Trap Plants
• Planting trap plants in patches is another option for IPM
intercropping. This integrated pest management
method suggests attracting pests to specific plants and
then controlling them with chemical or mechanical
techniques.
• You can grow soybeans as trap crops for Japanese
beetles.
Mechanical / Physical Integrated
Pest Management
• Integrated mechanical and physical controls imply
either removing or killing pests with designated devices
or manually, or blocking their access to plants.
Methods
1. Hand-picking
2. Traps
3. Barriers
4. Pruning and raking
Traps
• Trapping is a common mechanical IPM method to isolate
harmful organisms. There exist different types of
electric or mechanical traps that attract pests with light
or fire, collect them through air suction, or repel them
with electricity or sound.
• Barriers
• Constructing screens for birds and insects or building
fences around fields to protect them from wildlife can
bring fruitful results
Pruning And Raking
In integrated management practices, cutting
infested plant parts can be effective when the
damage is irreparable or crop disease has no
treatment. Raking helps manage infestations
mechanically or move them to the earth’s surface
to be destroyed by predators
Hand-picking
Physically removing pests by hand or using tools is a
direct and targeted method.
Biological Control In Integrated Pest
Management
• This integrated management method implies a common
way of destroying pests by predators, parasitoids,
pathogens, and other biological control agents (aka
antagonistic organisms).
• The role of biological control in IPM is to cause a
minimum imbalance in ecosystems by mimicking
nature.
Use of predators and parasitoids
• Beneficial insects like ladybugs act as natural predators,
preying on pest species.
• Parasitoids develop on or within their hosts to
eventually kill them after maturing. Typical examples of
parasitoids are most wasps or flies
• Predatory insects target specific pests, preventing
outbreaks without harming non-target organisms.
• Encouraging these natural allies helps maintain
ecological balance and reduces the need for chemical
interventions.
Use Of Pathogens
• Certain pathogens, like fungi and bacteria, can be
harnessed to infect and control pest populations.
• Biopesticides derived from these natural pathogens are
often species-specific, minimizing collateral damage.
• Unlike broad-spectrum chemical pesticides, microbial
control agents are environmentally friendly, posing
minimal risk to non-target organisms.
Chemical Integrated Pest
Management
• This group of the integrated approach applies natural or
synthetic chemical substances to repel or eradicate
pests.
• selective pesticides target specific pests, minimizing
the impact on beneficial organisms.
• Rotating different classes of pesticides helps prevent
the development of resistance in pest populations.
• Biopesticides are natural repellents containing plant
extracts or oils, which is the safest option for humans,
animals, and crops.
Case study
• The success of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in
Florida’s citrus industry against citrus greening
disease spread by the vector citrus psyllid,
Diaphorina citri
• Citrus greening disease threatened Florida’s citrus
industry, causing an estimated $4.6 billion in lost
revenues and the reduction of citrus acreage by over
100,000 acres
• IPM Strategies: The IPM approach in Florida involved
not only the use of natural predators but also cultural
practices like removal of infected trees, advanced
monitoring techniques using drones and dogs to detect
diseased trees, and collaborations between researchers,
farmers, and government agencies.
Diaphorina citri