Introduction to Pest

Management
Ogechah, O. J.,
[Link] (Egerton), M. Phil.
(Legon)
Introduction to pest management

Scope:
 Why IPM? - A historical
perspective

What is IPM?

 Steps/Components of IPM

 Pest management methods

A historical
perspective
A) Subsistence phase
 Pre synthetic pesticides

 Local consumption, low yields, no

organized control program.
 Control from natural control, hand picking,

cultural practices; rare pesticide use and

luck.
A historical
perspective
B) Exploitation phase
 New varieties with higher yield potential but
less tolerance to pests grown
 Pests discover the new resource and
pesticides are applied intensively.
 Control dependent on pesticides only, fixed
or calendar treatments, prophylactic
applications.
 Success: high yields and expanded
acreage.
A historical
perspective
C) Crisis Phase
(after a variable number of years in the exploitative phase)
 More applications and at higher rates to achieve
effective control due to resistance.
 Pest resurgence occurs.
 Pesticide substitutions used.
 Secondary pest outbreaks occur, become primary
pests.
 Natural enemies if present are destroyed.
 Higher production costs with diminishing returns.
A historical
perspective
D) Disaster Phase
 Production costs outweigh value – economic
production no longer possible.
 High pesticide residues in soil– adverse
effects on pple and environs
 Applications ineffective even with
repeated
application and use of mixtures.
 Pest control programs fail, crop cannot be
grown
A historical
perspective
E) Integrated Pest Management Phase (‘70s)
The protection technology for the crop is
restructured using a variety of management
options, not only chemicals.
 Emphasis on selective use of pesticides – natural and
cultural methods used
 Utilization of economic thresholds
 Involvement of the knowledge of the whole
system:
- Ecosystem analysis

- Community/Farmers knowledge, etc

What is
IPM?
What IPM is NOT:

IPM is not merely a biological control program

IPM is not a pesticide-free program

IPM is not an organic pest control program

 IPM is not the least or most expensive method of

pest management.
What is
IPM? Pest:
I

nItnAetngeyrgarltaievtdien:dg:

MorMa p ganat ahynonygisedmnidffief s , tfrhee

w ee adrne
s ttn
, ctaidueidsaeesaarthropods sseacnaodnnand dotem
to mav ne ( rtb ey bi r na tet erf es. ri ng w it h
Pes t: A n y l i vi n g organism that causes economically significant
cte
n siih cn
emcacaatihiq
tvoltindleue iqeusesa
s , m o rl ea ul sr ke us ,s ue sd ed in in
h damage to i ys o r d se is irg en s)i .fi c a n t
mMaaTnnha(ebgyepmiensteetnrsfte:at rMniut gaskwiontg i fhachnosinotarrcgotlailve
cddocam o m b
i
m ra atwg bni a
n a
to
it n
io n
enhtt ao nt oo
t
mp aeu n udn ed r
es s
r
ta n
ta dn d a
a snn t (adbgeryconsii eoit cneosr syfhneaadntirdnpre
sogsolvent
vwelvietphepse
ni tiis,em i o i
s o r d e s i er s ) . li t s et m s
i
consequence
erthcscptsa ursbl dinelkm
irporboa
g s u b s taol nntgia-
c t [Link].i sgor, desires).
econonmoitcxif deamd a–gtehetosaamcerospp–eccei arsefcual
tlelromssaf ersmtoP
I bMepinal gno. f no
nscvoIaunryctinflgroudamensdba
emllni htogeniatoofrinpl gl eo, sgwit noagoncdda t e g o r ei s o f o r g
depending
Pe s t : A on: ny liv in g o rga n i s m t h at c a u s e s e c on o m i c
aalnyissimgnsif:
icanThe pest organism involved
t damage
The host (crop)
The environment
Time
 Whatis
IPM?
‘A system that utilizes all suitable pest control
techniques and methods in a compatible
manner to keep pest populations below
economically injurious levels’.

- FAO, 1968
What is
IPM?
Objectives:

Methods adopted shouldmake economic,

social and environmental sense i.e.
 Economic viability

 Minimization of environmental
disruption; and

 Social acceptability
 Society
• Laws and regulations: for pests,
for technology
• Supermarket preferences
• Misinfo, fear, and prejudices

Ecosystem Economics
• Pest resistance Integrated • Pest losses
• Pollution • Control costs
• Weather
Pest • Crop value
• Interactions between pest types Management • Consumer costs
• Diversity

Control Technology
• Cultural/mechanical
• Biological
• Genetics and plant breeding
• Pesticides

Pests
Identification, Biology, Ecology
Population dynamics,
Population assessment
Steps of
IPMIdentify the problem correctly:
1.
The most important aspect of pest management.
Incorrect identification = wrong control tactics = wasted time & $$

2. Understand the pest biology

 Ecology - what it needs to thrive,
 Vulnerable developmental stage
 Life Cycle
 Behavior and habits

3. Monitor changes
 Pop size, dvptal stage, distribution
 Crop host status – maturity, health
 Weather/soil conditions
Steps in
IPM
4. Decision making: Thresholds
Thresholds are levels that a pest population
must reach before treatment to control it can
begin.
• Economic injury level (EIL): Pest population at
which the cost of control equals the cost of
damage
• Economic/action threshold: Pest density at
which control measures should be initiated to
prevent a rising pest population from
causing economic loss.
 Economic Injury Level
(EIL)
Economic Threshold
(ET)

Pest population

Time
Steps in
IPM

5. Take action: Integrate techniques

Review available tactics – cost vs expected economic
returns, social and environmental considerations,
effects on beneficials and other pests.
IPM pyramid of tactics
Steps in
IPM
6. Evaluate results: Follow-up
Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention
implemented!
– Did it work?
– Why not?
– What is your next step?
Steps in
IPM
Record keeping
• Maintain records of problems and solutions
• Such information is invaluable for future situations
• Also records can serve as a legal document for
potential
litigation problems!

Education
• Attending workshops, field days, short-courses,
seminars, etc. are vital to learn about the most
current and innovative pest management strategies
or approaches as well keeping informed on
Pest management
strategies
Approaches:
1. Manipulation of the pest organism

2. Manipulation of host plants

3. Manipulation of the environment

Pest management
strategies
Approaches:
[Link] of the pest organism:
Are tactics that either:
 directly influence the pest
organism or
 alter its behaviour so that it no longer
causes unacceptable losses
Eg: • prevention (legislation),
• use of pesticides and non-pesticidal tactics (biological,
behavioural and physical controls).
Pest management
strategies
Approaches:
2. Manipulation of host
plants: Increase crop tolerance to pest attack or
 Change the crop so the pest no longer attacks it.

E.g.:
 Cultural practices and
 Host plant resistance.
 Pest management
strategies
Approaches:
3. Manipulation of the environment: Environment
made:
1. less suitable for the pest,
2. more suitable for the host or natural enemies of
the pest.

It involves the use of physical tactics.

Cultural methods
Modifying horticultural practices to:

 Make the crop less suitable for the pest

 More suitable for the natural enemies

 Enhance tolerance to pest attack

Cultural methods
Spatial methods:
 Plant spacing / crop density: airflow and sunlight
penetration below crop canopy – understory
microclimate (humidity).
Wider spacing – reduced fungal diseases
and spread of diseases and pests.
Close spacing – suppress weeds, compensate for
yield losses and repel aphids and thrips.
 Border crop: prevent entry of pests or
harbour beneficials.
 Trap crop: lure pests away from the main crop thus
reducing the population density of pests.
 Intercropping: increase within-field diversity,
confuse pest
Cultural methods

Sequence methods:

(for immobile soil-borne pests)

Crop rotation: reduce / prevent build-up of

pests by starvation in the absence of suitable
host

Multi-cropping: several crops grown in

succession within a season – disrupts soil
pests on an annual basis.
Cultural methods
Location: choice depending on unfavourable
climatic conditions for the pest or absence of the
pest.

Resistant varieties: May be less preferred by

the pest/diseases, adversely affect its normal
development/survival, tolerate damage without an
economic loss in yield/quality – thro plant
breeding.

Sanitation: Prevent introduction of pests into

field and reduce or eliminate the inoculum from
infected fields.
Cultural methods

Ploughing: burry weeds and fungal spores, expose

some insects to predators.

Adjusting planting dates: To ensure that the period

during which the crop is susceptible to pest damage

does not coincide with the period of highest pest

populations.
Physical methods

Are directed against the pest organisms with rapid

effects – similar to pesticides

Approaches:

 Environmental modification (altering temp, water,

light)

 Physical exclusion (barriers and trapping) and

 Direct pest destruction (hand-picking, shooting).

Biological control

The use of natural enemies of pests (predators, parasitoids,

pathogens and antagonists) as agents for pest control.

Approaches:
1. Conservation

2. Augmentation

3. Classical biological control

Biological control

Approaches:
1. Conservation and enhancement:
The environment is manipulated or modified to
improve the effectiveness of resident natural
enemies.
Include any activities that improve their survival,
dispersal and reproduction in the crop environment
e.g.:
 minimizing the impact of pesticides on natural
enemies (discuss),
 changing the crop environment or
 changing the cropping practices.
Biological control
Approaches:
2. Augmentation:
Involves supplementing the numbers of resident natural
enemies with releases of laboratory-reared or field-collected
natural enemies.
Two approaches:
i. Inoculation: Small numbers of NE released, reproduce in
the field and build up their population. The aim is long-term
control by the action of the released individuals and the
progeny.
ii. Inundation: Natural enemies released in large numbers to
obtain immediate control of a pest through the activities of
the released individuals themselves, not their progeny.
Offspring of released individuals are not expected to
survive to assist in the control.
Biological control
Approaches:
3. Classical biological control: The importation
and establishment of exotic natural enemies for
control of pest (usually exotic).

Example: Release of several species of predatory

mites from South America in Africa to control
the cassava green mite that had been
accidentally introduced into Africa before.
Chemical
controlClassification based on:
 Source: synthetic / natural (from organisms / natural
inorganics)
 Method of application / mode of acquisition:
contacts, fumigants, systemics, residual, physical,
translaminar.
 Active ingredient / toxicant: Organophosphates,
organochlorines, carbamates, pyrethroids,
microbials, botanicals, oils and soaps, abrasives and
desiccants.
 Chemical vs. biorational
(Conventional) (biochemical Broad spectrum vs.
/
Silent Spring, 1962
- Rachel Carson

"...we have put

poisonous and
biologically potent
chemicals
indiscriminately into
the hands of persons
largely or wholly
ignorant of their
potentials for harm.
(Silent Spring, 1962)
 Bioaccumulation / Biomagnification:
Buildup of toxic materials in organisms in the higher trophic
levels.

The numbers are representative values of the conc’ in the

tissues of DDT and its derivatives (in parts per million)
 Others

 Quarantine

 Sterile insect techniques

For more info:
[Link]
info@[Link]