Intro to Pest Management

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Intro to Pest Management

• Topic 2045
• Aaron Gearhart

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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/stin
kbug/brown_stink_bug_adult.html
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What are Pests?

• Pests are plants, animals, or microorganisms that
  are detrimental to humans and human activities.
• Examples Weeds, Insects, Diseases, nematodes,
  and Rodents

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Most Common Method of Control

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

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Why do We Control Them?

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

http//www.agednet.com/subs/cs208.htm
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Examples
Yield Major
Product 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
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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/
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Who Cares?

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

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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
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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?

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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
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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

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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?catcode7
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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/blphot
o451.htm
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Integrated Pest Management

• Otherwise known as IPM
• A pest management system designed to use fewer
  pesticides

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Steps in IPM

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

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

• Identifying pest problems the farmer is likely to
  have.
• Identification of predators and parasites will
  help in selecting which pesticides to use.

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Prevention

• Tactics to help prevent pests from becoming a
  problem.
• Examples
• Changing planting date
• Preparing land properly

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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.

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Prediction

• With information gained from scouting the farmer
  can predict developing problems.
• Can also predict potential risks and losses.

http//www.rebelartist.com
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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.

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Evaluation

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

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Advantages of IPM

• Improved pest control
• Reduced environmental risk
• Better quality crop
• Can help farmers save money

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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.

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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
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Questions?