Intro to Pest Management

Topic #2045

Aaron Gearhart

The Problem With Pests

• Compete for Natural Resources

• Have Caused Famine

• Vectors of Major Disease Epidemics to both plants and animals

http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/hemiptera/stinkbug/brown_stink_bug_adult.html

What are Pests?

• Pests are plants, animals, or microorganisms that are detrimental to humans and human activities.

• Examples: Weeds, Insects, Diseases, nematodes, and Rodents

Most Common Method of Control

• Pesticides• Examples

• Insecticide (insects)• Herbicide (plants)• Fungicide (fungi)• Nematicide (nematodes)• Rodenticide (rodents)

Why do We Control Them?

• The control of competitive pests allows for us to obtain larger yields

http://www.agednet.com/subs/cs208.htm

Examples

Yield MajorProduct Increase Pests Controlled------- -------- ----------------Corn 25% weeds, rootworms, corn borers, blights

 

Cotton 100% pink boll weevils, nematodes, rots 

Alfalfa seed 160% weeds, alfalfa weevils 

Potatoes 35% tuber rots, black-leg, soft rots, blights 

Onions 140% botrytis blights, neck rot, smuts, maggots

Who Cares?

• With increased use of pesticides, concerns about dangers of pesticides has also risen

• Your role is to be informed about, to practice, and to encourage safe use of pesticides.

http://www.barrysclipart.com/photos/

Who Cares?

• EPA Environmental Protection Agency

• In charge of reviewing all pesticides and registering those pesticides considered safe for use in the environment.

When you need pesticides

• Healthy plants are less susceptible to attack by pests, and good cultural practices can reduce pest outbreaks.

• Before you purchase any pesticides you should ask some important questions.

http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/plantpath/corn/cearworm/3936.56cearwormdam.html

Some Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Pesticides

• Is a pest actually causing the damage?

• If it is a pest, what kind is it?

• Are there non-chemical ways to control it?

• Is the pesticide cost effective?

• At this stage in the pests life cycle is a chemical going to be effective?

Things to think about

• Just because you see a pest does not mean it is a problem

• Certain amount of pests will always exist

• Eradication is not economically feasible

• Over use of pesticides can damage the environment

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/T/W-CO-TOFF-MP.001.html

Good Cultural Practices Will Help Reduce the Need for Pesticides

• Select plants adapted or native to your area.

• Control weeds – use mulches and hand-pulling if possible. Weeds can harbor insects.

• Water adequately – Over watering and under watering can be equally damaging

Good Cultural Practices Continued

• Do not crowd Plants – planting to close weakens plants and increases disease

• Fertilize properly – to little fertilizer equals weak plants, to much can damage plants and polute ground water.

http://www.carefreegarden.com/cgi-bin/garden/start/apps/store/list.html?catcode=7

Good Cultural Practices Still

– Add organic matter such as compost to the soil – rich soil leads to healthier plants

– Control pests before they establish by hand removing insects or diseased leaves if possible

http://environment.about.com/library/weekly/blphoto451.htm

Integrated Pest Management

• Otherwise known as IPM

• A pest management system designed to use fewer pesticides

Steps in IPM

• Identification• Scouting• Prevention• Prediction• Decision• Evaluation

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/T/W-CO-TOFF-MP.001.html

Identification

• Identifying pest problems the farmer is likely to have.

• Identification of predators and parasites will help in selecting which pesticides to use.

Prevention

• Tactics to help prevent pests from becoming a problem.

• Examples:• Changing planting

date• Preparing land

properly

Scouting

• Monitoring pests in a field to keep aware of developing problems

• Also monitoring for beneficial insects which can help, manage or reduce pest populations.

Prediction

• With information gained from scouting the farmer can predict developing problems.

• Can also predict potential risks and losses.

http://www.rebelartist.com

Decision

• The farmer decides whether or not to begin treating his field or to wait a while longer based on what he found scouting and by what he predicted his economic outcome to be should he wait.

Evaluation

• An important step to see how your IPM program is working

Advantages of IPM

• Improved pest control

• Reduced environmental risk

• Better quality crop

• Can help farmers save money

Disadvantages of IPM

• Must hire a reliable scout

• Takes up more time

• Sometimes farmer must “wait out” a pest to see if its natural enemies destroy it

• Sometimes IPM requires more pesticide applications.

Consequences of the Chemo Technology Revolution

• Development of pest resistance to pesticides

• Chemical contamination of environment

• Human health risks• Harm to non-target

beneficial organisms• Evolution of new pests

http://www.agednet.com/subs/cs210.htm