Integrated Pest Management

Role of agriculture sector is very important  in the process of economic development of a country. IPM aims to suppress pest populations below the economic injury level (EIL).It is a newly emerging phenomenon which help us in sustainable agriculture so the advantages of advance agriculture can not b denied as far as it enable us to improve crop yield and quality.The engineers enable use to use use more advance agricultural tools to control or eradicate the pests. 

Principles of integrated pest management:

Eradication of pest from the field without using any kind of pesticides or very little pesticides.

Though the pesticides are very important for the controlling the pest in the field but its not the 

only way to control the pest in the field.The problem of insect pests are rising in current scenario 

so we use pesticides and fertilizers frequently so the residual effect of pesticides increasing health

issues in the agricultural products such as in fruits, vegetable and other products. The beneficial 

insects like honeybees are also effecting  by chemicals so the production of pure and natural honey 

is decreasing recently.

Acceptable pest levels —The emphasis is on control, not eradication of pest. IPM holds that wiping out an entire pest population is often impossible, and the attempt can be expensive and unsafe. IPM programmers first work to establish acceptable pest levels, called action thresholds, and apply controls if those thresholds are crossed.These thresholds are pest and site specific, meaning that it may be acceptable at one site to have a weed such as white clover, but not at another site. Allowing a pest population to survive at a reasonable threshold reduces selection pressure. This lowers the rate at which a pest develops resistance to a control, because if almost all pests are killed then those that have resistance will provide the genetic basis of the future population. Retaining a significant number of unresistant specimens dilutes the prevalence of any resistant genes that appear. Similarly, the repeated use of a single class of controls will create pest populations that are more resistant to that class, whereas alternating among classes helps prevent this.

Preventive cultural practices—Selecting varieties best for local growing conditions and maintaining healthy crops is the first line of defense. Plant quarantine and 'cultural techniques' such as crop sanitation are next, e.g., removal of diseased plants, and cleaning pruning shears to prevent spread of infections. Beneficial fungi and bacteria are added to the potting media of horticultural crops vulnerable to root diseases, greatly reducing the need for fungicides.

Monitoring—Regular observation is critically important. Observation is broken into inspection and identification.Visual inspection, insect and spore traps, and other methods are used to monitor pest levels. Record-keeping is essential, as is a thorough knowledge of target pest behavior and reproductive cycles. Since insects are cold-blooded, their physical development is dependent on area temperatures. Many insects have had their development cycles modeled in terms of degree-days. The degree days of an environment determines the optimal time for a specific insect outbreak. Plant pathogens follow similar patterns of response to weather and season.

Mechanical controls—Should a pest reach an unacceptable level, mechanical methods are the first options. They include simple hand-picking, barriers, traps, vacuuming and tillage to disrupt breeding.

Biological controls—Natural biological processes and materials can provide control, with acceptable environmental impact, and often at lower cost.

Responsible use—Synthetic pesticides are used as required and often only at specific times in a pest's life cycle.

5 steps of IPM:

•  Identify the Pest
•  Monitor Pest Activity 
• Determine Action Thresholds 
• Explore Treatment Options and Make Treatments
•  Evaluate Results  

Advantages and disadvantages of IPM:

Integrated pest management (IPM) is

an ecologically-friendly method to increase crop production and lower the damages sustained by pests. For getting high crop production you need to know about the the factors that effect the plant growth.This is achieved by means of various management methods which reduces the use of chemical pesticides . The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) emphasizes the healthy growth of crops with the minimal usage of pesticides and encourages the use of biological pest control methods.

IPM focuses on the long term application of ecologically-friendly biological methods such as natural predators, resistant plant strains, sterile male technique, and so on. The main reason that the FAO has started implementing the IPM in several regions was largely due to the hazardous impact of the certain chemicals contained in commercial pesticides. Some studies show that the use of DDT in Africa to control malaria has given some adverse side effects such as breast cancer, diabetes, spontaneous abortions, decreased semen quality, and impaired child underdevelopment . Thus, IPM aims to slowly reduce the use of pesticides via biological control methods.

The importance of Integrated pest management :

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and appropriate measures to discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce risks to human health and the environment.

In laymen’s terms, Integrated Pest Management is about stopping problems before they happen. It is a proactive, holistic approach to pests, pesticides, and other factors. In this article about IPM, we interviewed Jordan Mello, Master Grower for In Good Health.

• Why use IPM?

Growers are legally limited in the kind of pesticides they are allowed to use. Since the majority of pesticides are managed and controlled by the federal government, and cannabis is a schedule 1 drug in the eyes of the federal government, there are very few pesticides that are allowed for use in cannabis. The pesticides that are allowed typically fall outside the domain of EPA-regulated pesticides. These pesticides are generally referred to as “minimum risk” pesticides or tolerance-exempt pesticides.

Because of these limitations, a more proactive approach to pest management is required to keep cannabis pest-free. That’s where IPM comes in — by actively monitoring plants and quickly responding to threats, growers can avoid situations where the EPA-restricted pesticides might be necessary.

• IPM Regimentation

All employees who enter In Good Health’s grow area must change out of their street clothes and into scrubs. They are also supplied with in-house shoes, gloves, and hairnets. To avoid contaminating separate rooms, employees are required to change their clothing, shoes, and other equipment when they enter a different grow room.

In addition to standard employee practices, Jordan regularly inspects his plants for any sign of pests. He also inspects their water tanks, flushes, and other equipment to make sure that nothing is out of alignment.

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