Integrated pest management (IPM) is a recently developed technology for pest control
that is aimed at achieving the desired control while reducing the use of pesticides. To
accomplish this, various combinations of chemical, biological, and physical controls are
employed. In the past, pesticides were all too often applied routinely whether needed or
not. With IPM, pest populations as well as beneficial parasite and predator populations
are
monitored to determine whether the pests actually present a serious problem that needs
to
be treated. If properly and extensively employed, IPM might reduce pesticide use by as
much as 50 percent, while at the same time improving pest control. If this goal were
achieved, the environmental problems would be minimized, and significant benefits would
result for farmers and society as a whole.
IPM coordinates economically and environmentally acceptable methods of pest control
with judicious and minimal use of toxic pesticides. IPM programs assess local
conditions,
including climate, crop characteristics, the biology of the pest species, and soil
quality, to
determine the best method of pest control. Tactics employed include better tillage to
prevent soil erosion and introduction of beneficial insects that eat harmful species.
Many
pests that are attached to crop residues can be eliminated by plowing them underground.
Simple paper or plastic barriers placed around fruit trees deter insects, which can also
be
attracted to light traps and destroyed. Weeds can be controlled by spreading grass, leaf,
or
black plastic mulch. Weeds also may be pulled or hoed from the soil.
Many biological controls are also effective. Such insect pests as the European corn
borer,
and the Japanese beetle, have been controlled by introducing their predators and
parasites.
Wasps that prey on fruit-boring insect larvae are now being commercially bred and
released in California orchards. The many hundreds of species of viruses, bacteria,
protozoa, fungi, and nematodes that parasitize pest insects and weeds are now being
investigated as selective control agents.
Another area of biological control is breeding host plants to be pest resistant, making
them
less prone to attack by fungi and insects. The use of sex pheromones is an effective
measure for luring and trapping insects. Pheromones have been synthesized for the
Mediterranean fruit fly, the melon fly, and the Oriental fruit fly. Another promising
pest-
control method is the release of sterilized male insects into wild pest populations,
causing
females to bear infertile eggs. Of these techniques, breeding host-plant resistance and
using beneficial parasites and predators are the most effective. Interestingly, the
combined
use of biological and physical controls accounts for more pest control than chemical
pesticides.
and with that, I conclude this report with saying that we should pay more attention to
Integrated Pest Management to help achieve a better future for our generation and the
next generation to come.
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