Integrated pest management for yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. Sesquipedalis) in Cambodia

Abstract

Pesticides are widely used to protect crops against insect pests and diseases. However, current conventional pest management strategies can severely impact environmental and human health. Therefore, it is timely to find an alternative to conventional chemical control in order to counteract the negative effects of pesticides. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) represents a promising alternative in vegetable production to reduce pesticide use while also maintaining acceptable yields. In this study, we compared an IPM strategy with conventional management and a no-spray control for managing arthropod pests and pathogens in yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. Sesquipedalis), an important crop in Southeast Asia. We conducted the study during two crop cycles (rainy and dry season) on 24 farms (12 per season) spread across the Soutr Nikum district of Siem Reap, Cambodia. In both seasons, our IPM strategy controlled overall pest levels better than conventional pest management, which exhibited better pest control than the no-spray control. This pattern was not reflected by yields, however, since dry season yields were similar across all three treatments (conventional = 1.68, IPM = 1.73, control = 1.52 kg m−2), and rainy season yields were similar between conventional and IPM treatments, which were higher than yields in the no-spray control treatment (conventional = 1.74, IPM = 1.71, no-spray control = 1.33 kg m−2). The costs of IPM were higher than conventional management, which contributed to lower profits in the IPM treatments in both seasons despite yields being as high as in conventional production. Therefore, future efforts should focus on increasing the profitability of IPM production.