Integrated Pest Management Project Research Articles

The role of computer models in the Grasshopper Integrated Pest Management Project

The Grasshopper Integrated Pest Management Project (GHIPM) is a $15 million project initiated in 1986 to identify, develop, and implement rangeland grasshopper management tactics within the framework of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the Western United States. Computer simulation has been used to fulfill many original objectives for GHIPM. For example, models have been developed and/or used to simulate grasshopper population dynamics, forage growth and destruction, and ranch economics. These models also have been used to structure and deliver knowledge to land managers who make decisions about grasshopper control. In addition, another group of computer simulation studies were developed to probe at basic mechanisms and understanding of rangeland grasshopper ecology. For example, an object-oriented simulation is being developed that can represent any number of unique grasshopper cohorts for specific species, life stages, and disease status. Soil temperature and moisture are also being simulated to support a grasshopper egg hatch model. All of these research models were designed for basic science with a focus on improving management of rangeland grasshoppers.

Integration of Weed Management and Tillage Practices in Spring Dry Pea Production

AbstractInformation about long‐term efficient production systems is needed to assist growers in adopting conservation cropping practices for spring dry pea (Pisum sativum L.), a biologically important pulse crop grown in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. From 1985 to 1991, an integrated pest management field study examined the influence of three weed management levels and two tillage regimes on the productivity of spring pea grown in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)‐spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)‐spring pea rotation. When averaged over 6 yr, spring pea yielded the least with the minimum weed management level in either the conservation (chisel plow) or conventional (moldboard plow) tillage system. In conservation tillage, yields were similar at the moderate and maximum weed management levels and up to 335 kg ha−1 more than pea with the minimum weed management level. In contrast, in conventional tillage, yields were increased only at the maximum level of control compared with the minimum level. Yields of pea grown under conservation tillage were equal to or greater than yields in conventional tillage when averaged over weed management levels. The reduced tillage system on the integrated pest management project met conservation compliance for both planting pea into spring barley residue and planting winter wheat into pea residue. In addition to reducing erosion, the conservation pea production system did not increase substantially herbicide use and cost, thus maintaining environmental quality.

Integrated pest and land management experiences and perspectives in The Gambia

The various agricultural ecosystems in The Gambia are described in brief, and the richness of flora and fauna discussed. Indiscriminate cutting of trees without replanting, bush fires and mechanization of commercial crops have so far been much more destructive to the environment than has chemical control. In the future one may expect more chemical control to be used in commercial crops, but probably not in subsistence cultures. With more commercial enterprises and less government participation, risks for the environment will probably increase. The CILSS Integrated Pest Management Project (1983–1987) showed that it is possible to reduce yield losses without endangering the environment. IPM approaches can improve the methods of cultural and traditional control in subsistence cultures, and keep chemical control at a low level in commercial crops. Introduction of varieties which are tolerant or resistant to the most important pests, and biological control agents can be used for a number of crops. The system of surveillance, which was introduced for a number of pests by the CILSS project, should serve as a permanent basis for all control activities.

Appalachian gypsy-moth integrated pest-management project

The USDA Forest Service was directed by Congress, through the 1987 Supplemental Appropriation, to initiate an integrated pest-management special project, Appalachian Gypsy Moth IPM (AIPM) Project, to minimize the spread and adverse effects of the gypsy moth. The overall five-year objectives of the Project are to: (1) minimize the spread and adverse effects of the gypsy moth within the Project area; (2) develop a general prototype IPM structure; (3) evaluate the use of the intervention activities for the management of isolated infestations; and (4) assess the feasibility of a coordinated County, State and Federal gypsy-moth program.

Challenges to International Pest Management Research and Extension in the Third World: Do We Really Want IPM to Work?

Although research and field-level implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been most successful in the United States and Europe, IPM has made significant progress in the Third World also. Most entomologists are aware that the Third World provided the practical laboratory for some of the earliest IPM programs. But these focused generally on nonstaple crops, such as cotton and cocoa, and on large-scale rather than small, subsistence farms. Increasingly, scientists, policy makers, and donor agencies in developing countries are turning their attention to small farmers, who till 65% of the world's arable land. Improving their pest management has been singled out as one of the most important tools for increasing world food production. Today, major IPM projects for small farmers are proceeding in a number of Third World countries, under the auspices of the Club de Sahel in Africa, the International Center for Research in the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United States Agency for International Development (AID). Some estimates suggest that improved pest management could eliminate 50%of the current losses in the world's basic food crops.