Integrated Pest Management Methods Research Articles

Reviews on the Strategies Employed in Implementing the 'Push-Pull' Approach to Integrated Pest Management

Abstract: For small-holder maize farmers in Africa, the push-pull strategy is outlined as an alternate ecological management technique to traditional insecticide-based integrated pest management for the control of the spotted stem borer Chilo partellus and the autumn armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda. Push-Pull Technology (abbreviated PPT) is a unique integrated pest management method developed by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and its partners. This tactic involves influencing the behavior of natural enemies and insect pests by strategically deploying stimuli that make the resource under protection unappealing or inappropriate for the pests (the "push"). Additionally, the pests are drawn to an alluring source the pull, from which they are then eliminated

Nut bush pesticide limits: urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to address current and emerging insect pests and insecticide options in the Australian macadamia industry.

In Australia, macadamia orchards are attacked by four main insect pest groups. Management and control of three of these key pests currently relies on broad-spectrum insecticides whose long-term future is questionable. Of the 23 insecticides registered for use in macadamia in Australia, 19 face issues affecting their availability and 12 are presently not approved in the EU, the USA or Canada. These international markets may refuse produce that does not adhere to their own insecticide use standards, hence Australian produce may be excluded from market access. Many of the potential replacement integrated pest management methods of pest control are generally considered less effective by the industry and have not been adopted. There are 17 insect pest groups identified by the industry, any of which have potential to become major problems if broad-spectrum insecticide options become unavailable. Thirteen pest groups need urgent attention as they are at risk of losing current effective control methods, and no replacement solutions have yet been developed. The lag period for research and development to identify new chemical and biological control solutions means there is now an urgent need for the macadamia industry to craft a strategy for sustainable pest management for each pest. Critically, this industry strategy needs to address the vulnerabilities identified in this paper, identify potential solutions for any cases of market failure and consider funding mechanisms to address these gaps. On economic and sustainability grounds, potential biological control options should be explored, especially in cases where insecticide control options are vulnerable. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Mechanism of Plant Resistance to Insects, Weeds and Pathogens

Plants are primary producers and a food source for many heterotrophic phytophagous organisms. They are affected by different biotic and abiotic environmental stress. Insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and other pests are biotic factors that significantly reduce crop productivity. Naturally, plants protect themselves from pest attacks by developing different morphological, structural, and biochemical defense mechanisms. However, our understanding of these defensive mechanisms is still limited. Hence, the objective of this paper is to review the mechanism of plant resistance to insects, weeds, and pathogens to know the relevant defense or resistance mechanisms of plants against pests. Many morphological characteristics contribute to plant resistance to insect pests. These include trichomes, surface waxes and hardness of plant tissues, thickening of cell walls and cuticles, the rapid proliferation of tissues, anatomical changes in plant organs, and color and shape of plant parts. The chemical composition of the host plant affects the behavior and adaptation of the herbivore and the host plant. These chemicals can be physiological inhibitors or nutritional deficiencies. Secondary metabolites are compounds that decrease the palatability of the plant tissues in which they are produced but have no effect on a plant's regular growth and development. Plants defend themselves against pathogens by a combination of weapons termed host resistance which is a structural and biochemical defense mechanism and they also defend from weeds by producing allelochemicals. Thus, plants have developed multiple resistance mechanisms to protect against pests. These resistance mechanisms could be an important tool for pest management by reducing the dose of chemicals used in pest control, resulting in a minimal effect of the chemicals on the environment. Also, these resistance mechanisms are compatible with other control methods that act as one of the components of integrated pest management methods to reduce the damage caused by pests.

Policy options for promoting wider use of biopesticides in Thai agriculture

Biopesticides are rapidly growing in importance for crop protection globally, but nearly all growth is happening in high income countries. No previous work systematically analyzed how lower-income countries can better benefit from the increased availability of biopesticides, which is important because these countries are particularly affected by the adverse effects of chemical pesticide use. Here we review the legislation of biopesticides in Thailand and combine this with stakeholder interviews and interview data from 300 smallholder farmers producing rice, fruit, vegetables, and flowers. We find that Thailand has adopted a biopesticide registration system that facilitates a fast-track registration, but it is still relatively costly considering the small market size. While 65 % of the sampled farmers used biopesticides, most farmers still heavily relied on conventional pesticides as their main method to control pests. Education, farming experience, positive attitudes of biopesticides, adoption of other integrated pest management methods and contacts with government extension agents were positively associated with biopesticide use. Coordinated action is needed to stimulate the supply of a wider range of biopesticide products while promoting adoption among farmers.

Inducing a summer brood break increases the efficacy of oxalic acid vaporization for Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) control in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies.

The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman), is the leading cause of western honey bee colony, Apis mellifera (L.), mortality in the United States. Due to mounting evidence of resistance to certain approved miticides, beekeepers are struggling to keep their colonies alive. To date, there are varied but limited approved options for V. destructor control. Vaporized oxalic acid (OA) has proven to be an effective treatment against the dispersal phase of V. destructor but has its limitations since the vapor cannot penetrate the protective wax cap of honey bee pupal cells where V. destructor reproduces. In the Southeastern United States, honey bee colonies often maintain brood throughout the year, limiting the usefulness of OA. Prior studies have shown that even repeated applications of OA while brood is present are ineffective at decreasing mite populations. In the summer of 2021, we studied whether incorporating a forced brood break while vaporizing with OA would be an effective treatment against V. destructor. Ninety experimental colonies were divided into 2 blocks, one with a brood break and the other with no brood break. Within the blocks, each colony was randomly assigned 1 of 3 treatments: no OA, 2 g OA, or 3 g OA. The combination of vaporizing with OA and a forced brood break increased mite mortality by 5× and reduced mite populations significantly. These results give beekeepers in mild climates an additional integrated pest management method for controlling V. destructor during the summer season.

Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy)'nin morfolojik ve moleküler teşhisi üzerine araştırma

Aphids are one of the most important groups of insects that cause damage to agricultural crops, ornamental plants, as well as herbaceous and woody plants in their natural habitats. Aphids that feed on plant sap can cause significant crop losses worldwide, ranging from 70% to 80%, due to stunted growth, deformation, wilting, and other detrimental effects on plants. Despite the chemical, biological, and integrated pest management methods applied against these damages, aphids have rapidly expanded their distribution areas and their damages have been increasing in recent times. Hyalopterus Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a genus of aphids, are known worldwide as pests that infest Prunus trees, which are stone fruit trees. They cause damage by feeding on the trees and also by transmitting plant viruses. Subsequently, improper and indiscriminate use of chemical control methods negatively impacts both human and environmental health. Accurate identification of aphids, especially in terms of invasive species, is crucial for early detection of their damages in the initial stages. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene is an effective gene region used in the identification of many economically important plant pests worldwide. In this study, a total of 50 individuals of Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) were collected from three localities Şarköy (Ulaman, Bulgurlu, Gölcük, Cumhuriyet, Mürefte, Hoşköy, Gaziköy, Tepeköy, Palamut), Süleymanpaşa (Yüzüncüyıl, Altınova, Banarlı, Barboros, Bıyıkali, Çınarlı, Değirmenaltı, Ferhadanlı, Hürriyet, Karacakılavuz, Karaevli, Naip, Namık Kemal and Marmaraereğlisi (Bahçelievler, Cedit Ali Paşa, Dereağzı, Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Sultanköy, Türkmenli, Yakuplu and Yeniçiftlik) in Tekirdağ province. The species H11, H41, and H61, which were selected to represent three counties, were sequenced, and the molecular sequence results revealed that H. pruni, as morphologically described, showed 99% consistency at the molecular level.

Effects of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Practice on Insects Population and Yield of Cabbage in Cameron Highlands

Plutella xylostella is the main pest of cruciferous plants which are widely planted in Cameron Highlands. This pest attack causes losses of up to 90% to farmers. To overcome this problem, most farmers use synthetic chemical pesticides intensively and exceed the prescribed dose. This situation causes pollution to the environment and endangers the health of consumers due to the effects of toxic residues on harvested vegetables. In addition, excessive use of insecticide will increase the insect's immunity to the insecticide, and this will reduce the effectiveness of the insecticide in the future. If this happens, farmers will incur losses because they have to use insecticides at a higher rate or use insecticides that are much more expensive. This study evaluates the effect of using integrated pest management (IPM) methods in MARDI Cameron Highlands cabbage fields in terms of insect population distribution whether pests or natural enemies and cabbage yield for each season. In this study, there were two treatments which were IPM and conventional grown cabbage. Each treatment has 5 replications and was repeated for three seasons. For IPM treatment, pesticide spraying was determined through evaluation of natural pests and enemies found in cabbage on a weekly basis. IPM treatment also uses yellow and blue sticky traps as well as biological control agents to control pests. Monitoring of pest and beneficial insect populations was carried out once every 2 weeks using the direct count and sweeping net method. The name and number of acquired species of insects were recorded in the scoresheet. The harvested cabbage is weighed, and the yield was recorded. The results of the study show that the use of IPM methods in cabbage fields has a positive effect on the interaction between pest populations and natural enemies, and the quality of the harvest also does not show qualitative and quantitative differences compared to conventional cultivation.

Effect of Bait and Light intensity of color traps of the population Ocnerogyla amanda Staudinger 1891 (LYMANTRIDAE: LEPIDOPTERA) Kane Kawai CHBUX

This study was carried out in the village of Kane kawai chbux, located in the Sulamani governorate of Iraq in 2021. Two options were used to suppress population destiny: a bait trap and a light trap. The effect of color and light density on the attractiveness of adults of the moth Ocnerogyia amanda species of moth leaf worm of fig was studied, and the results showed that light traps yellow color were more effective than white color, Whereas the means monthly captured of adults/trap had (6.278,14.400,12.078), and white light traps means captured adults/trap monthly had ( 6.830,10.488,10.080)The results of the statistical analysis also showed significant differences between white light traps and yellow light intensity with (50, 100, and 150) watts of bulb power, and traps with a 50-watt bulb had less influence on adult capture. Molasses with water at 1:9 and molasses with vinegar at 1:3. The mean monthly captured adults/trap had (7.304, 3.018, and 0.041).Fermented palm sugar and water were superior in attracting a significant number of captures as compared to vinegar and molasses. Molasses and vinegar were the least attractive. The conclusion is that bait traps are an attraction and capture, and that collectors and attraction are aids to light traps that capture most adults active at night as the best method to reduce population density, these are the two selected methods and their relationship as integrated pest management methods.

The Level of Farmers’ Implementation of Integrated Pest Management Methods for Date Palm in Some Districts of Babylon Governorate

The Level of Farmers’ Implementation of Integrated Pest Management Methods for Date Palm in Some Districts of Babylon Governorate

Insect pests in apple (Malus domestca Borkh) gardens: Review

Apple (Malus domestica), is one of the most important fruit trees cultivated in temperate regions but, newly introduced in Uganda for its income and nutritional importance. However, apples are found to be susceptible to arthropod pests, some known to cause damages on both the plant and fruits. Some of these insect pests are known while others are still unknown and could be effectively managed through integrated pest management methods. For any effective Integrated insect Pest Management, it is necessary to have enough information about the biology and ecology of a given pest, including, spatial distribution and factors that affect pest species’ distribution. Therefore, in this paper, systematic information on insect pests damaging apple fruit trees was reviewed. Different recent literature on insect pests hosted by apples under different agroecological systems of the world was reviewed. The review focused on classifying common insect pests, preferred varieties and their ecological distribution. This was achieved by using the ISI Web of Science bibliographic database and search terms such as apple entomofauna and insect pests were used, with specific keywords of [apple*] AND [insect*] AND [pest]. It was found out that, insect pests in apples belong to several groups of invasive pests which include Coleoptera and Polydrusus (beetles, weevils), Diptera (leaf, seed, fruit flies), Hemiptera (aphids, psyllids, bugs and scales), Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps ants, bees), Thysanoptera (thrips), Trombidiformes (mites) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) that are of economic value. This work, again reveals dramatic rates of appearance of isect pests in orchards in Africa and elsewhere, which have compromised apple industry’s growth. The review pieced together known information about the insect pests that occurs in apples in different geographical locations. But, information on insect pest in Uganda’s apple orchards remained scanty, which calls for an immediate detailed study on the same.

Manejo de plagas de sésamo en Etiopía: una revisión

Sesame is Ethiopia’s most significant oil crop, especially Tigray, Amhara, and some lowland Oromia, Somalia, and the Gambella region. Consequently, the crop is exposed to a wide range of insect pests feeding on leaves, flowers, pods, and seeds affecting sesame yields. This article review provides information on the biology, nature of the damage, and management methods of economically important sesame pests. Sesame webworm, Antigastra catalaunalis (Duponchel) is the most common and frequently encountered pre-harvest pest of sesame. Sesame seed bugs, Elasmolmus sordidus (Fabricus) is also the most serious under field and storage conditions. Gall fly, Asphondylia sesami (Felt) could become a severe insect issue because of sesame gall formation, and Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) is a critical stored pest and a significant challenging of crop sesame in Ethiopia. Reports on minor pests are also listed. This paper summarizes current knowledge on pest management strategies, including cultural, biological, and botanical methods, and pesticide applications. The information gathered here indicates that the bioecology, host range, host plant resistance, the occurrence of insecticide resistance, and the development of integrated pest management methods for economical insect pests need to be addressed.

The Potential and Green Chemistry Attributes of Biopesticides for Sustainable Agriculture

Chemotherapy has advanced modern agriculture with costly side effects such as the extinction of beneficial species, resistant pest resurgence, environmental pollution, tainted food consumption, and health implications. Attention is now focused on biopesticides as a solution to the abovementioned disadvantages. Additionally, there is a growing need to understand the range and relative effectiveness of biopesticides in controlling pests and promoting sustainable agriculture. The latter is the major driver of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In comparison to synthetic pesticides, biopesticides offer nearly similar protection against the most notorious pests, except Albugo candida (oomycetes), Ustilago maydis (fungi), Phytomonas spp. (protozoa), Nacobbus aberrans (nematode), and Cyperus rotundus (weed). This study shows that viruses are more vulnerable to essential oils, nematodes and weeds to natural enemies, herbivorous insects to biochemical insecticides, and plant pathogens to plant-incorporated protectants and microbial pesticides. This work also demonstrates that it is preferable to use plant-derived biopesticides in a field concurrently. Incorporating these findings into large-scale farming via the integrated pest management method would improve the outcome of sustainable agriculture (SA), which connects 11 of the 17 SDGs. Despite their proven efficacy and sustainable attributes, biopesticides have some deficiencies, such as slow action and a short shelf life span, which can be improved by omics, RNA interference, and nano-based technologies. This field of technologies provides relevant prospects for improving existing biopesticides and discovering and developing new bio-controlling agents (BCA).

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria for Biocontrol of Tomato Bacterial Wilt Caused by Ralstonia solanacearum

Bacterial wilt induced by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most damaging and widespread diseases of tomatoes in the world. Biological control with rhizobacteria is one of the efficient components of integrated pest management methods used to control the disease and enhance production. To this end, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Bacillus isolate BDUA1, and Pseudomonas isolates BBDUA2 and BDUA3) isolated from the tomato rhizosphere were evaluated for their plant growth-promoting traits using standard methods, and selected isolates were also tested for their biocontrol efficacy on tomato bacterial wilt disease under greenhouse conditions. All isolates produced cellulase and lipase, and only BDUA1 and BDUA3 produced protease and amylase. Besides, BDUA1 and BDUA2 showed phosphate solubilization and production of indole-3-acetic acid, HCN, and siderophore, while BDUA3 solubilized phosphate and produced HCN and siderophore. Our results showed that BDUA1 and BDUA2 reduced bacterial wilt incidence on the Maya variety by 51.9% and 48.5%, respectively, and on the Melkesalsa variety by 51.8% and 48.5%, respectively. Treatment of the Melkesalsa variety with BDUA1 displayed the highest height (36.91 cm), followed by treatment with BDUA2 (31.74 cm) on the same variety. BDUA1 induced the highest effect on increasing the dry weight of shoots and roots by 4.16 g and 0.59 g in the Maya variety and in the Melkesalsa variety by 3.63 g and 0.48 g, respectively. Similarly, BDUA2 had the greatest effect on increasing the dry weight of shoots and roots by 3.8 g and 0.54 g of the Maya variety and on the Melkesalsa variety by 3.12 g and 0.41 g, respectively. The overall result showed that BDUA1 and BDUA2 could be used as promising plant growth promotion and biocontrol agents for the management of tomato bacterial wilt disease provided they were validated under field conditions.

An interdisciplinary method for assessing IPM potential: case study in Scottish spring barley

A method is proposed which considers Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through several lenses, in order to obtain a more holistic view of the potential for IPM, and is described using a case study of Scottish spring barley. Long-term experimental field trial databases are used to determine which management methods are best suited to the system at hand. Stakeholder engagement provides insight into which of these methods are most likely to be taken up by farmers. Finally, a database of commercial practice allows an estimate of the potential for improving management patterns, based on current levels of IPM uptake across a wider sample of Scottish farmers. Together, these diverse sources of information give a more complete view of a complex system than any individual source could and allow the identification of IPM methods which are robust, practical, and not already in widespread use in this system. Bringing together these sources of information may be of particular value for policy and other decision makers, who need information about strategies which are both practical and likely to have a large positive impact. In the case of Scottish spring barley, there is good potential to reduce the need for fungicide use through the increased use of highly resistant barley varieties.

Benefits of Cover Cropping Systems in Walnut Orchards as Sustainable Agricultural Practice

In recent years walnut orchards implemented cover crops in between rows to improve soil’s quality, lessen soil’s erosion, increase organic matter, manage nutrient movement and availability, enhance water retention, and expand microbe, insect, and flora diversity. Commonly selected cover crops in California are from families Poaceae, Brassicaceae, and Fabaceae. Considerations should be made when choosing a particular cover crop mixture to enhance multiple benefits and improve sustainable practices in orchard settings. An experiment was conducted in a walnut orchard to compare functionality and benefits of three systems multi-crop, monocrop, and no vegetation cover crop system. The following components were evaluated: cover crop and weed biomass, cover crop species field distribution, and ability to provide better coverage and weed suppression properties. Brassica mixture, clover and grasses showed highest presence in field conditions and excellent weed competition attributes, while peas and faba beans had low presence and did not compete well growing in a mixture with other cover crops. Multi-crop treatment demonstrated the highest dry and wet biomass as well as the greatest weed suppression. Recommendations are to carefully consider current practices in walnut orchards, to seasonally include vegetation cover rather than bare soil, and to choose multi-crop cover rather than monocrop. Implementation of multi-crop species as a sustainable practice would increase soil’s quality, improve biological management through rise of natural beneficial predators and enhance integrated pest management methods.

Evaluation the efficacy of some integrated pest management methods against fig wax insect, Ceroplastes rusci (L.) in middle of Iraq

Results showed of this study that Neem pesticide had significant effects on mortality of first instar nymphs which was 75.72 nymphs, meanwhile Movento pesticide had high effects on the other instars (unmoving instar and adults) which were 42.59 and 46.28% respectively. The concentration of 200 g Applaud/100 litres of water recorded the superior results in all studied instars of C. rusci which were 88.92 nymphs, 46.22 and 46.28% respectively. Results also cleared that the best results of mortality rates were appeared after 15 days of treatment which were 89.50 nymphs, 45.55 and 42.40% for each studied instar respectively. Finally, the interaction among examined factors showed significant effect on morality rate of C. rusci and the highest rate was recorded was in the treatment (Movento x 200 g Applaud/100 litres of water x 15 days) which was 119 nymphs, 88.8 and 91.50% for 1st nymphal instar, unmoving nymphal instar and adults respectively.

Outbreaks of the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), and Maize Production Constraints in Zambia with Special Emphasis on Coping Strategies

The fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) is an invasive pest of maize, as well as other important cereals and vegetables, threatening food systems and biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the outbreaks of the FAW, farmers’ perceived production constraints, and coping strategies in maize production in Zambia. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in two FAW-affected maize production districts in Zambia in 2017 and 2018. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, preference ranking, and focused group discussions. Crop losses due to FAW, the high cost of fertilizers, and a limited availability of arable land were the major production constraints across the districts. There were significant differences (X2 = 12.415; p = 0.002) in the severity of FAW infestation between the two districts in 2017. Notable FAW coping strategies used by the respondent farmers included cultural and landscape management practices, chemical pesticides, and crushing of FAW larvae. There was a disparity between male and female respondents who perceived social, agronomic management, and crop protection-related factors that influenced the choice of a maize variety. Information presented here will serve as a basis for FAW-resistant cultivar development and deployment of the integrated pest management methods for Zambia.

The Parasitoid Eretmocerus hayati Is Compatible with Barrier Cropping to Decrease Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci MED) Densities on Cotton in China

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) cryptic species Mediterranean (MED), is a destructive insect pest worldwide. In order to contribute to controlling B. tabaci by non-chemical methods, we examined the possibility of using a combination of trap/barrier crops and a parasitoid natural enemy in cotton. We performed field experiments using cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) as trap crops and maize (Zea mays) as a barrier crop combined with periodic releases of the parasitoid Eretmocerus hayati in Hebei Province, Northern China. All treatments significantly reduced immature whitefly densities. Parasitism rate was significantly higher in cotton plots intercropped with sunflower and with perimeter-planted cantaloupe. Adult whitefly density was negatively related to parasitoid abundance and was significantly lower in cotton plots intercropped with maize than in the control plots. Intercropping was more effective than perimeter-planting at reducing B. tabaci densities and increasing yield. Parasitoid dispersal was not hampered by barrier crops, indicating that the two methods of control are compatible. These results contribute to the development of integrated pest management methods against this important pest.

Biology and Management of Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

Abstract Varroa mite (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman) infestation of European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies has been a growing cause of international concern among beekeepers throughout the last 50 yr. Varroa destructor spread from the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana Fabricius [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) to A. mellifera populations in Europe in the 1970s, and subsequently traveled to the Americas. In addition to causing damage through feeding upon lipids of larval and adult bees, V. destructor also facilitates the spread of several viruses, with deformed wing virus being most prevalent. Several sampling methods have been developed for estimating infestation levels of A. mellifera colonies, and acaricide treatments have been implemented. However, overuse of synthetic acaricides in the past has led to widespread acaricide resistant V. destructor populations. The application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques is a more recent development in V. destructor control and is suggested to be more effective than only using pesticides, thereby posing fewer threats to A. mellifera colonies. When using IPM methods, informed management decisions are made based upon sampling, and cultural and mechanical controls are implemented prior to use of acaricide treatments. If acaricides are deemed necessary, they are rotated based on their mode of action, thus avoiding V. destructor resistance development.

Development of sustainable plant protection programs through multi-actor Co-innovation: An 8-year case study in Swedish apple production

This article assesses the multi-actor co-innovation research that was carried out between 2010 and 2018 by researchers and apple production actors. The aim was to develop sustainable integrated pest management methods that, with the help of an agroecological whole system approach, would be both desirable and feasible to implement in practice. Whilst a novel pest management strategy based on semiochemicals arrived at and was rapidly adopted by growers, the enhancement of biological control through functional diversity required long-term learning. This is explained by substantial differences in the perception of the economic risk and the necessary knowledge behind the adoption of each method. The knowledge gap due to the reduced number of extension advisors and the conflict between the cost incurred when implementing low-impact pest control methods and reduced profitability of apple crops were pointed out as major contradictions by the actors. We suggest that strengthened regional agroecological infrastructure support along with the expansion of public advisory service personnel would reduce the farmer economic risk and share the responsibility for a safer environment and healthier food. Similarly, relevant authorities should be provided with resources to allow for safety assessments of candidate low-risk plant protection products at the regional scale. As a conclusion, we recognised that in our region sustainable agroecosystem management through feasible and desirable plant protection strategies could not be developed solely by focussing on the efficiency of the tools because the cost-effectiveness and thus the implementation of such tools depended greatly on the simultaneous co-innovation of the socio-technical system. Local stakeholders need to harmonise their vision and standpoints to engender long term socially and environmentally sound objectives providing a base to promote, finance and extensively adopt innovative plant protection strategies within the Skåne region.