Pest damage to crops is significant.

How do pests become pests?

• New crop introductions

• New organism introductions

• Production system practices

• Removal of limiting factors

• Low tolerance

The Pest Complex

• The specific collection of pest species attacking a specific commodity or cropping system at any given time and location.

• A given complex is divisible into different “groups”:

– Invertebrates (arthropods, molluscs)

– Vertebrates (mammals, fish, birds)

– Weeds (perennials, summer/winter annuals)

– Plant Pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes)

Each pest species has a given status within a complex

• Key pests

• Minor pests

• Secondary pests

• Occasional pests

• Potential pests

• Chronic pests

• Migrants

• Accessory Species

– Vectors (Pest status often linked with pathogen)

– Alternate Hosts

Pests are often classified by the type of injury that they cause

General Terms

• Direct Pests

• Indirect Pests

• Medical/Veterinary

Pest Injury versus Damage

Injury – The effect that the pest has on the crop or commodity.

Damage – The effect that injury has on man’s valuation of that crop or commodity.

For crops, “Injury” is biological and “Damage” is economic. For non-crops, “Injury” = “Damage”.

Working Concept for Damage

Organisms that cause economic damage are the ones of interest in pest management

Introducing “Pest Management”

• “Management” -- a process by which information is collected and used to make good management decisions to reduce pest population impacts in a planned, coordinated way.

• Requires:

– Tolerance

– Information

– Strategy

IPM Defined

IPM – A system that maintains the population of any pest, or pests, at or below the level that causes damage or loss, and which minimizes adverse impacts on society and environment.

Attempts to balance the benefits of pest control actions with the costs when each is considered in the broadest possible terms.

Balancing costs and benefits can be done at various levels

The Pest Management Continuum

Pest Management at the Crossroads

See Handout.

Distribution of US Cropland Over the IPM Continuum

Limitation on IPM is Macro vs. Micro Economics

Pest Management “Flavors”

• Integrated Pest Management

• Ecologically-Based Pest Management

• Biointensive Pest Management

• Sustainable Pest Management

Proponents of one flavor often attack other flavors

As an example, read the paper by Ehler & Bottrell in the Reading Assignments for Jan 14.

Come Prepared to Discuss

All Flavors…

• Differ in their ultimate objective

• Share the same general approach to achieving their objective.

• The approach (process) is the heart of pest management.

• Ultimately a systematic information management process

Information Goals in this Process

• Threat Assessment

• Objectively value damage

• Correlate: pest ® injury ® damage

• Pest Prediction

• Damage Avoidance Options

• Avoidance Option Costs

• Material/Equipment/Labor Costs

• Other production system costs

• Non-target costs

• Human & environmental Risks

• Other social costs & risks (e.g. GMO’s)

• Reliable Decision Method

• Objectivity

• Fact Based

• Risk-Aware

• Implementable

• Current Decision’s Impact on Future Situations

Two Basic Decision Categories in IPM

Most Control Decisions Combine One of Each of the Following:

• Tactical vs. Strategic

• Tactics – Individual control options

• Strategies – Combinations of Tactics

• Preventative (Prophylactic) vs. Curative (Therapeutic)

• Preventative – Before pest is a threat

• Curative – When pest is threatening

Hypothetical Strategy

Strategy vs. Program (Strategic Plan)

IPM is Implemented Via Programs

• Programs include pest monitoring and decision tools

• Monitoring & decision tools tie into the strategy.

IPM Programs are Implemented in 7 Steps

• Identify the production steps in the CPS.

• Identify pests to be managed in the CPS (Crop Production System).

• Define the Management Unit.

• Develop monitoring techniques.

• Identify available tactics and assemble them into a basic strategy.

• Establish decision criteria.

• Evolve descriptive & predictive models.