Implementation Of Integrated Pest Management Research Articles

Trichoderma-based Products and their Widespread Use in Agriculture

Governing bodies throughout the world, particularly in Europe, are now implementing legislative mandates with the objective of decreasing dependence on pesticides in agriculture to increase consumer and environmental safety. In order to reduce the risks associated with pesticide applications and reduce dependency on their use, Directives will promote low pesticide-input by implementing integrated pest management (IPM), and provide the means to establish the necessary conditions and measures to employ these practices, as well as to ensure security of commercial products. One approach includes the use of biological control agents and their products as alternatives to synthetic agro-chemicals. Trichoderma spp. are widely studied fungi and are among the most commonly used microbial biological control agents (MBCAs) in agriculture. They are presently marketed as bio-pesticides, biofertilizers, growth enhancers and stimulants of natural resistance. The efficacy of this fungus can be attributed to their ability to protect plants, enhance vegetative growth and contain pathogen populations under numerous agricultural conditions, as well as to act as soil amendments/inoculants for improvement of nutrient ability, decomposition and biodegradation. The living fungal spores (active substance) are incorporated in various formulations, both traditional and innovative, for applications as foliar sprays, pre-planting applications to seed or propagation material, post-pruning treatments, incorporation in the soil during seeding or transplant, watering by irrigation or applied as a root drench or dip. Trichoderma-based preparations are marketed worldwide and used for crop protection of various plant pathogens or increase the plant growth and productivity in diverse cultivated environments such as fields, greenhouses, nurseries; in the production of a variety of horticultural, fruits, trees and ornamental crops. A survey was conducted of Trichoderma-containing products found on the international market to obtain an overall perspective of the: 1) geographical distribution, 2) product composition and identity of Trichoderma species selected, 3) contents combined with Trichoderma in the products - other microbial species or substances in the mix, 4) number of products available globally and geographically, 5) number of products registered or having use specifications, 6) product formulations and applications, 7) manufacturer claims - target use, target pests, product type and effects of applications. The largest distribution of Trichoderma bioproducts is found in Asia, succeeded by Europe, South- Central America and North America. The majority of the labels indicated fungicidal properties, but only 38% of the marketed merchandise are registered. Ten Trichoderma species are specifically indicated, but many labels indicate a generic Trichoderma sp. or spp. mix in the list of ingredients. The most common formulation is a wettable powder, followed by granules. Generally, Trichoderma are applied to the seed or propagation material at the time of planting, then the secondary use is during plant development. On the whole, the target use is for the control of soilborne fungal pathogens such as Rhizoctonia, Pythium and Sclerotinia, and a few foliar pathogens such as Botrytis and Alternaria; whereas the minor use indication is for plant growth promotion. The use of Trichoderma-based biological products will have an important role in agricultural production of the future, in light of changing worldwide perspectives by consumers and governing bodies.

Pest insect movement and dispersal as an example of applied movement ecology: Comment on “Multiscale approach to pest insect monitoring: Random walks, pattern formation, synchronization, and networks” by Petrovskii, Petrovskaya and Bearup

Over the past decade there has been a revolution in the development of new affordable sensing and tracking technology, and this has led to the deployment of a vast array of location sensors and data loggers for monitoring and recording animal movement [1,2]. This revolution has led to an enormous amount of animal movement data being collected and much of this is now freely available [3]. Alongside the technological revolution, by necessity there has also been a rapid development of new mathematical and statistical tools and techniques for analysing the enormous data sets collected [4–6]. Movement ecology has subsequently been recognised as an important research field in its own right [7,8]. Nevertheless, there are still many open problems remaining. In particular, Petrovskii et al. [9] highlight an important question about how the movement and dispersal of pest insects relates to their population abundance, dynamics and spatial spread. Such a question can be considered an example of “applied movement ecology”. As well as serving as an important case study to develop and test movement analysis and spatial modelling techniques, there are obvious direct economic, societal, and conservation benefits to be had from better understanding of pest insect dispersal and subsequent population dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales. Outbreaks of pest insect species (such as Tipula paludosa, as discussed in [9]) are known to cause serious damage to crops. Outbreaks can occur at a range of spatial scales: from a small localised outbreak affecting part of a field, through to a regional outbreak or invasion of a pest species [10,11]. Many millions of dollars are lost globally every year because of lost or reduced crop yields caused directly by pest insect damage [10]. Hence it is important that we can develop better knowledge of pest insect movement and dispersal in order to properly implement integrated pest management (IPM) [11]. Because of their life-cycle, size, abundance, and tendency to reside partially or fully underground for at least part of their life history, it is usually not practical to use the types of sensors and loggers that are now frequently used on larger animals to track large numbers of pest insects simultaneously over extended periods of time [12]. Instead, entomologists have had to implement alternative techniques to track insects on the move. Radio-frequency

Management of air-borne viruses by "optical barriers" in protected agriculture and open-field crops.

The incurable nature of viral diseases and the public awareness to the harmful effects of chemical pest control to the environment and human health led to the rise of the integrated pest management (IPM) concept. Cultural control methods serve today as a central pivot in the implementation of IPM. This group of methods is based on the understanding of the complex interactions between disease agents and their vectors as well as the interactions between the vectors and their habitat. This chapter describes a set of cultural control methods that are based on solar light manipulation in a way that interferes with vision behavior of insects, resulting in a significant crop protection against insect pests and their vectored viruses.

Implementing an integrated pest management (IPM) program in child care centers: A qualitative study

Pesticide use in and around child care centers is a potential health threat to children and staff. The implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) can reduce these risks yet child care providers receive minimal, if any, education concerning pest management. The objectives of this qualitative study are to: (a) develop a model to describe the process of implementing an IPM program in child care centers, (b) identify the facilitators and barriers to implementing an IPM program in child care centers, and (c) examine congruence between IPM practices identified on an IPM checklist with practices reported in qualitative interviews with child care managers. Interviews and IPM checklist observations were conducted with nine child care center managers in California before and after the introduction of a pilot IPM education intervention program. The qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed a four-stage IPM implementation process, from awareness of IPM, recognizing the importance of IPM and learning how to practice it, motivation and the decision to adopt IPM, to the implementation of IPM. A wide range of facilitators and barriers were identified. There was general congruence between the manager interviews and IPM checklist findings on IPM policies, practices, and management. Understanding the process of how an IPM program was implemented in these child care centers and the facilitators and barriers involved in the process can inform planning efforts for future health interventions in child care.

Calonectria diseases on ornamental plants in Europe and the Mediterranean basin: an overview.

Species of Calonectria and their cylindrocladium-like asexual morphs are important plant pathogens of agronomic and forestry crops, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Calonectria species have been associated with a wide range of disease symptoms on a large number of plant hosts. On horticultural crops, most records of Calonectria species come from the Northern Hemisphere, where they occur mainly in gardens and ornamental nurseries. In Europe and the Mediterranean basin, several species are widespread in nurseries and cause extensive damage to ornamental plants. In the past, identification of species was based on phenotypic characters and sexual compatibility using standardised media. More recently, morphological characteristics, phylogenetic studies (DNA sequence data of the β-tubulin, histone H3 and translation elongation factor-1α gene regions) and mating studies have revealed the presence of several cryptic species complexes that were formerly treated as single Calonectria species. These studies resulted in the introduction of several new species. Other studies aimed at understanding environmental sustainability focused attention on soil solarisation and biological control as means for controlling these pathogens. The potential use of biological control agents (BCAs) and chemicals for controlling Calonectria-induced diseases has recently been addressed. In this review we discuss the Calonectria species detected in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, and the disease management strategies. In view of the mandatory implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) for all European countries by 2014, this paper provides basic information as a platform for the adaptation of more sustainable integrated measures to control Calonectria diseases in European nurseries.

Integrated Pest Management and children’s exposures to pyrethroids in low-income public housing dwellings in Boston, MA

Background: Pyrethroid pesticides are used extensively in agriculture and in home and building applications. Children are recognized as most at risk to dietary and residential exposures due to their still developing organs and underdeveloped detoxification processes. Integrated pest management (IPM) in housing is gaining popularity as a more comprehensive and less pesticide-driven method for reducing pests, however IPM programs instituted by large housing complexes have not been evaluated for efficacy. Aims: We sought to evaluate whether a newly introduced IPM program in low-income housing could alter children’s pyrethroid exposures. Methods: We tracked 20 children in a Boston public housing complex over 18 months, collecting urine samples over 3-day periods for each of 6 consecutive months before and after IPM implementation with six months between (up to 72 samples per child). Samples were analyzed for 6 pyrethroid metabolites. Results: Prior to IPM implementation, one or more pyrethroid metabolites were present in every urine sample, with cis- and trans-2,2-(dichloro)-2-dimethylvinylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (DCCA) , 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA), and cis-2,2-(dibromo)-2-dimethylvinyl-cyclopropane carboxylic acid (DBCA) detected in over 89% of samples. Remaining metabolites were detected in under half of collected samples. While 3PBA and DCCA medians (0.5 ng/ml) were similar to National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey values, 95%ile values rose to 7 ng/ml and peak exposure events (up to 235 ng/ml (DCCA) and 372 ng/ml (3PBA)) were 5-11 times higher than other studies. FPBA and DBCA stayed below 1 ng/ml up to the 95%ile. Post-IPM urine levels will be reported and compared to pre-IPM samples. Observations of IPM performance included a decline in pesticide use by families. While visits by pest professionals increased, use of pyrethroid sprays remained low and widespread application of baits and gels were reported. Conclusions: Pesticide exposures are common in low income housing and use of IPM may serve to reduce children’s exposures.

Plant protection in Poland on the eve of obligatory integrated pest management implementation

Integrated pest management (IPM) will be obligatory in all European Union (EU) member states from January 1, 2014. Successful IPM implementation will depend not only on the sound guidelines and goodwill of the farmers, but also on conditions in farmers' environment. This paper presents the most important factors influencing IPM implementation in Poland. The most favorable aspects on the eve of obligatory IPM implementation are the relatively low use of plant protection products and popularity of some non-chemical methods of pest control, such as sowing cereal in mixture. The most important challenges are the improvement of advisory service and the crop structure with almost three-quarters of sown area covered by cereals.

Growers' Perceptions and Adoption Practices of Integrated Pest Management in West Virginia

Integrated Pest Management implementation continues to be an important topic among growers. Although the continuing concerns over the residual effects of pesticides have prompted government regulations to encourage environmentally friendly approaches to pest management, adoption levels remain stagnant. The study reported here investigates the perceptions and IPM adoption practices of corn growers in West Virginia. Respondents agreed that repeated use of herbicides and insecticides with the same mode of action leads to herbicide-resistant weeds and insecticide-resistant insect pests. Additionally, scouting was the most commonly used IPM practice for insect, disease, and weed control. Recommendations for practice are also discussed.

Sustainability of European maize-based cropping systems: Economic, environmental and social assessment of current and proposed innovative IPM-based systems

There is strong social and political pressure to reduce pesticide use in European agriculture. Evaluating the sustainability of cropping systems is a complex task due to the conflicting objectives underlying its economic, social and environmental dimensions. Multi-criteria assessment of different Integrated Pest Management (IPM) scenarios and evaluation of the most sustainable options at regional, national and European level is essential. Within the EU Network of Excellence ENDURE, two expert-based surveys were conducted (i.e. interviews), where experts from four European regions (northern region, Denmark and The Netherlands; central-eastern, Tolna and Békés counties in Hungary; south-western, Ebro Valley in Spain; southern, Po Valley in Italy) determined which are the main current maize-based cropping systems (MBCSs) in their region and proposed innovative IPM-based systems. The DEXiPM® (DEXi Pest Management) model for arable cropping systems was used to evaluate and compare the economic and environmental sustainability of these systems. The social sustainability was evaluated by adapting indicators of this model to the specificities of maize systems. The assessments showed that all innovative rotated MBCSs proposed in the four regions can have a higher environmental sustainability than and maintain the same economic sustainability as current rotated systems. These cropping systems are thus acceptable for testing under “real” field conditions. Only the innovative continuous maize system proposed in the central-eastern region was both economically and environmentally more sustainable than the current system. All innovative systems had a positive impact on work safety but according to local expert opinion producers and consumers are not ready to implement them or to accept their higher-priced products, with the exception of consumers in the northern region. These results suggest the need for European and regional policies to encourage the adoption of innovative rotated MBCSs that have positive agronomic and environmental impact through IPM implementation. The major constraints that inhibit this adoption were predominantly relating to (1) the lack of access that farmers have to the practical knowledge needed to effectively manage these systems and (2) the insufficient consumer awareness and acceptance of product improvements associated with IPM. To overcome these constraints supportive policy environments, well-functioning knowledge management systems (including good farmer support networks) and effective marketing is required.

Sustainability assessment of crop protection systems: SustainOS methodology and its application for apple orchards

Crop protection in general and apple crop protection in particular often rely on pesticides, although several alternative pest management measures are available. In this context European agricultural policy requires the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by 2014. Within IPM, more than one strategy can be practiced but selecting the most sustainable strategy is difficult because it requires simultaneous assessment of multiple environmental and economic aspects or attributes. Here, we introduce the SustainOS methodology for sustainability assessment of orchard systems, and we evaluate its usefulness in a case study involving four crop protection strategies in apple orchards of five European regions. SustainOS is an iterative, multi-attribute approach for defining and rating the sustainability of crop protection strategies in comparative studies. It consists of a transparent system-description tool including context, target, and crop protection parameters. The parameters are used as input data for life cycle assessment, environmental risk assessment, and full-cost calculations. The various results from these quantitative assessments are used to generate a multi-attribute rating with respect to ecological and economic sustainability. We demonstrate how the quantitative results can be translated into rating classes. By applying the SustainOS methodology, we show that the ecological sustainability for all five regions can potentially be improved by implementing alternative crop protection measures currently available. We also report that, by increasing yield, yield stability, and fruit quality, implementation of IPM can improve the economic situation of apple growers. Because of its transparency, SustainOS facilitated the collaborative development and comparison of crop protection strategies for sustainable orchard systems by an international network of agronomists, economists, and environmental scientists.

Comprehensive survey of the present status of environmental management of pesticides consumption in rice paddies

Environmental management of pesticide consumption is one of the most important aspects of pest management programs. The present study was carried out considering the farmers' knowledge, attitudes and practices of pest management in rice paddies in four Iranian cities: Sari, Babol, Amol and Nour in Mazandaran province, which are the highest rice-cultivating regions. The effective factors in pesticide consumption management are education, pesticide application technology, regulations, Integrated Pest Management implementation and the price of pesticides; therefore, a questionnaire with 27 items regarding these factors was designed and 220 farmers were interviewed. The obtained data were converted to quantitative measures by the Likert procedure and then analyzed by descriptive statistical methods. In order to evaluate the current status of pesticide environmental management, the quantitative information was categorized into five levels: very poor, poor, medium, good and excellent, based on the Food and Agricultural Organization and Iran Plant Protection Organization index. The weakness of the education parameter in studied samples was one of the most significant results of this research. The total education score was 1.9, which is very poor. The study demonstrated that the existing regulations have many deficiencies in comparison with the standards. The 48% overall management rank was considered poor. In 35%, the pest management rank was medium and in 17%, the rank was very poor. No good or excellent rank was obtained in this research. Hence, a comprehensive practical program needs to be initiated to improve the present status of pesticide consumption management in the province. The results achieved in this study may be used as a database to establish a management and monitoring program for pesticide consumption environmental management in Mazandaran province.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PREDICTORS OF IPM TRAINING PARTICIPATION AND IMPLEMENTATION IN ILLINOIS CHILDCARE CENTERS

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PREDICTORS OF IPM TRAINING PARTICIPATION AND IMPLEMENTATION IN ILLINOIS CHILDCARE CENTERS AbstractBackground and AimsA comprehensive program for childcare providers and supervisors to reduce pesticide use and promote integrated pest management (IPM) in Illinois childcares is analyzed, in order to determine its impact on different populations. Since populations are non-uniform in their perception and response to environmental challenges, researchers are looking for criteria to identify at-risk populations and opportunities for promoting environmental behavior.Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to pesticide impacts because of their physiology, metabolism and behavior. Critical neurodevelopment processes are especially at risk from toxins. The majority of childcares report using pesticides, where approximately 53 million US children spend up to ten hours daily.While regulated school IPM programs have proliferated, childcares are more difficult to influence as they vary in location, size, and government oversight; while socio-economic factors help explain access.MethodA listing of licensed trained and untrained childcares from the post-survey was analyzed for pest incidences, IPM training participation and implementation and the results compared to census 2000 socio-economic data.ResultsChildcares in underprivileged populations were significantly more likely to participate in training than middle socio-economic populations; and mostly large centers participated. Understanding IPM benefits correlated positively with lower socio-economic and negatively with middle to high status, while IPM actions only coordinated with spending a high percentage of income on rental. Training resulted in selective adoption of IPM practices, especially pest prevention.ConclusionsThe training program raised awareness leading to IPM implementation in large licensed childcare centers in underprivileged, but not higher socio-economic populations; homes or license exempt childcares where children may be at even greater risk. This may reflect the formal organization and resources of government subsidized centers serving weaker populations and the strong motivation of childcare providers to protect children.

Assessing Integrated Pest Management Adoption: Measurement Problems and Policy Implications

For more than a decade, the U.S. government has promoted integrated pest management (IPM) to advance sustainable agriculture. However, the usefulness of this practice has been questioned because of lagging implementation. There are at least two plausible rationales for the slow implementation: (1) growers are not adopting IPM-for whatever reason-and (2) current assessment methods are inadequate at assessing IPM implementation. Our research addresses the second plausibility. We suggest that the traditional approach to measuring IPM implementation on its own fails to assess the distinct, biologically hierarchical components of IPM, and instead aggregates growers' management practices into an overall adoption score. Knowledge of these distinct components and the extent to which they are implemented can inform government officials as to how they should develop targeted assistance programs to encourage broader IPM use. We address these concerns by assessing the components of IPM adoption and comparing our method to the traditional approach alone. Our results indicate that there are four distinct components of adoption-weed, insect, general, and ecosystem management-and that growers implement the first two components significantly more often than the latter two. These findings suggest that using a more nuanced measure to assess IPM adoption that expands on the traditional approach, allows for a better understanding of the degree of IPM implementation.

PINEAPPLE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT - AN OVERVIEW

Consumers are very concerned about food safety and environmental protection as well. Such a situation imposes changes on conventional crop production. Regarding the pineapple crop, control of pests and diseases all over the world is based on calendar applications of pesticides. On the other hand, pineapple orchards conducted under integrated pest management strategies are in accordance with environmental and food safety concerns. The concept of integrated pest management (IPM) appeared in 1968 and by 1989 it was a common strategy all over the world. IPM implementation reduces the use of pesticides and promotes the use of pesticides approved by governmental agencies. Special measures are also applied to reduce pesticide applications such as: introduction of predatory agents, crop rotation to reduce soil pest populations, use of cover crops to attract beneficial insects, to contribute for weed management and soil preservation, monitoring pests and disease development, planting of disease-resistant cultivars and use of biological pesticides. Considering that the success of any integrated pest management program relies on a good understanding of the crop production system as well as of the ecology and biology of each pest or disease, pineapple growers should be continuously trained on integrated pest management procedures.

Relationship in the production chain of apple in the perspective of complexity theory.

This work was built from the necessity of understanding how relationships occur between members of the apple production chain to propose mechanisms that can assist in improving the inter-relationships. Thus, the ring tetralogical approach was used in the identification of actions arising from the implementation of IPM (integrated pest management) in the apple production chain in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. This is a qualitative research, operationalized through a case study which was conducted from interviews with expert members of the Brazilian apple production chain. Data analysis provided evidence of the results as: identification of the ring tetralogical concepts in the implementation of the integrated production of apple, verification of the supply chain strategies used by apple as a guiding system and the presence of relationships in the actions and attitudes they bring to the system. As such, they need to work towards the behavior of cooperation and teamwork, besides the necessity of a reorganization aimed at achieving the certification process by the link wholesalers and retailers, as well as consumer awareness to end the requirement quality control at the time of purchase.

Impact of integrated pest management (IPM) training on reducing pesticide exposure in Illinois childcare centers

Children, mainly infants, are especially vulnerable to pesticides, as a result of physiological factors which facilitate absorption of chemicals and limit the ability to detoxify and eliminate them. Moreover, children exhibit mouthing activity with pesticide contaminated objects. Therefore, the rapid course of growth and development creates a time-frame of unique vulnerability, where exposed children are prone to develop delayed neurotoxic brain disorders. Parents, childcare workers and staff are generally untrained in using pesticides and may not follow instructions or consider safer alternatives in efforts to provide a sanitary pest-free environment. A survey of 3364 Illinois childcare centers was conducted to assess the direct and indirect impact of a formal integrated pest management (IPM) “Train-the-Trainer” program implemented by a non-governmental organization to childcare centers and supervisory agencies over a 3-year period. This survey determined that the training increased the level of confidence, positive attitudes (easy, controls pests, efficient) and implementation of IPM by childcare providers. Childcare staff was motivated primarily by how IPM protects children's health from exposure to pesticides, in which neurotoxic substances may play a major role.

Comparison of two methods of monitoring thrips populations in a greenhouse rose crop

The thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is among the most important pests of greenhouse crops in Europe and causes considerable damage to commercial rose crops. The usage of pesticides is associated with major problems, and thus the interest of implementing integrated pest management (IPM) for rose crops is increasing. One essential component of IPM is field monitoring/scouting. Growers use information gathered from scouting to select and schedule appropriate control tactics. Thrips populations were surveyed in 2005 and 2006 in a greenhouse planted with roses, Rosa x Hybrida in Southern of France. From April to August, thrips were counted using yellow sticky traps (YST), knock-down techniques [i.e., tapping flower heads (FT)] and actual counts of entire plants. Thrips abundance recorded using YST correlated well with abundance levels determined through FT or actual counts (whole plant). Our results demonstrate that it is accurate to estimate thrips populations using YST in rose crops in greenhouse. Because YST takes at least twice less time than other monitoring methods, it could be used as a valid and easy monitoring technique in further development of IPM programs on roses. The possibility of setting a damage threshold using the data from the YST in the greenhouse is discussed.

Farmers' perception on plant protection in India and Nepal: a case study

Participatory rural appraisal was undertaken in 70 villages in India and Nepal, covering 1185 farmers to generate baseline information on the current plant protection practices. The study revealed that 93% of the farmers in India and 90% in Nepal had adopted chemical control for the management of various insect pests in different crops; however, less than 20% of the farmers expressed confidence on their efficacy. In India, 52% of farmers get their plant protection advice from pesticide dealers, while in Nepal, the majority of the farmers (69%) make their plant protection decisions through agricultural officers. A majority of the farmers (73% in India and 86% in Nepal) initiate the plant protection based on the first appearance of the pest, irrespective of their population, crop stage and their damage relationships. About 50% of the farmers in India and 20% in Nepal were not using any protective clothing while spraying. Health problems associated with the application of plant protection chemicals were reported by farmers. The cost of plant protection on various crops ranged from 7 to 40% of the total crop production cost. Though integrated pest management (IPM) has been advocated for the past two decades, only 32% in India and 20% in Nepal were aware of IPM practices. IPM implementation in selected villages brought a 20-65% reduction in pesticide use in different crops. The vegetable samples analysed for pesticide residues revealed the presence of residues.

Implementing integrated pest management in professional lawn care: a case study

Human choices regarding land cover management practices may influence ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces. We conducted a 2-year study to compare biological (weed, insect, and disease), aesthetic (lawn quality), and economic (lawn care program cost) attributes of an integrated pest management (IPM) program, in which pesticides are applied on the basis of treatment thresholds, with a standard program, in which pesticides are applied on a calendar basis without pest monitoring. Both programs were managed by a professional lawn care operator. Although weed incidence was low, the IPM program had significantly more lawns with weed presence than the standard program during 2005 and 2006. However, only 21% of the IPM lawns required herbicide applications in 2005, and none exceeded the treatment threshold (5% weed cover) in 2006 as compared to 100% of the standard program lawns being treated for weeds in both years. The IPM program also had significantly more lawns with insect damage than the standard program during June 2005 and August 2005, but not September 2005 and throughout 2006. Only 28% of the IPM lawns required insecticide applications in 2005 and none exceeded the threshold (5% insect damage) in 2006 whereas all of the lawns in the standard program received insecticide treatments in both years. Rhizoctonia blight was present on some of the lawns, but was not a common problem. Although lawn quality was high for both programs (>8, on a scale of 1–9), it was significantly higher for standard than for IPM program lawns during 2005, and June 2006 and September 2006, but not August 2006. The annual lawn management costs were lower for the IPM ($281.50) than the standard program ($458.06). Thirty one percent of the IPM program customers who continued with the study in 2006 did so because they were satisfied with the IPM program. Among those who did not continue with the program, 33% cited weed or insect problems, while 33% expected better results. The implications of these findings for implementation of IPM in professional lawn care are further discussed.

Assessment of Implementation and Sustainability of Integrated Pest Management Programs

All parties involved in growing the world's food, including growers, crop consultants, university researchers, extension personnel, national and regional regulatory agencies, and the agrochemical and seed industry, spend significant time, money, and effort to solve the problems associated with growing food. The needs of these parties are varied and sometimes in conflict, which is not always conducive to developing and implementing integrated pest management (IPM) systems that are both sustainable and economical. IPM encompasses simultaneous management of multiple pests, regular monitoring of pests and their natural enemies and antagonists, use of economic or treatment thresholds when applying pesticides, and integrated use of multiple, suppressive tactics. IPM components with the greatest impact on resistance management are rotating classes of chemistry, use of recommended rates, not exceeding label restrictions, and avoiding sequential treatments of products with the same mode of action. The best way to insure that these components are followed is to have pesticide record keeping and reporting. However, pesticide use record keeping and reporting are not currently required in all areas. Other activities that can be integrated include educational workshops on IPM, resistance monitoring of pests to pesticides, proper identification of pests and natural enemies, real time scouting reports on the pests that are being found, maintenance of a data base on the effects of various products on natural enemies, and field validation of IPM use.