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Entomology
The University of Maryland Vegetable Program utilizes integrated pest management (IPM) tactics in all of its vegetable production programs whether they are commercial, organic, or home and garden. Integrated Pest Management relies on a combination of practices that consist of pest and environmental information along with available pest control methods, including cultural, biological, genetic and chemical controls, to prevent detrimental levels of pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides. In contrast, organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals. IPM, through its multi-tactic approach will: lessen the potential for pesticide resistance, reduce chemical costs, limit human exposure to pesticides and lower the environmental impact of pest management.
CEW Pheromone trap Corn Ear Worm in ear
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Colorado potato beetle CPB Damage
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Parasitic wasp Parasitized (brown) aphids
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Tachinid fly and Trichogramma wasp laying eggs
IPM programs work to manage agricultural crops to prevent pests from becoming a threat. Practices that contribute to crop protection for the long term include: Biological controls, which preserves biological diversity, crop rotation breaks pest life cycles and often improves tilth and fertility, host plant resistance uses varieties that are resistant to common pest species, sanitation which includes the removal or destruction of debris and other sources of pest infestation, and site selection which deals with planting only on sites suited to the crop's needs.
The emphasis is on management, not eradication. Eradicating an entire pest population is often impossible, and the effort can be more costly, environmentally unsafe, and counterproductive than it is worth. Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control. Many organisms are harmless, and some beneficial. IPM programs work to monitor pests and identify them accurately, so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. An action threshold is the point at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken. Sighting a single pest does not mean control is needed. The level at which pests will either become an economic threat is critical to guide future pest control decisions. The tactics of monitoring, identification and action thresholds of pests removes the possibility that pesticides will be used when they are not really needed or that the wrong kind of pesticide will be used.
Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, IPM programs then evaluate the proper control method for efficacy and environmental and human hazard. Effective, less hazardous pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would be employed, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Application of broad-based pesticides is a last resort.
IPM is applicable to all types of agriculture. Reliance on knowledge, experience, observation, and integration of multiple techniques makes IPM a perfect fit for organic farming (the synthetic chemical option is simply not considered). For large-scale, chemical-based farms, IPM can reduce human and environmental exposure to hazardous chemicals, and potentially lower overall costs.
Biointensive IPM incorporates ecological and economic factors into agricultural system design and decision making, and addresses public concerns about environmental quality and food safety. The benefits of implementing biointensive IPM can include reduced chemical input costs, reduced on-farm and off-farm environmental impacts, and more effective and sustainable pest management. An ecology-based IPM program has the potential of decreasing inputs of fuel, machinery, and synthetic chemicals—all of which are energy intensive and increasingly costly in terms of financial and environmental impact. Such reductions will benefit the grower and society. For more information on Biointensive vegetable growing see: http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/ipm.html#toc#toc
For more information, contact Dr. Gerald Brust
Last updated: 11/2/2006