Integrated Pest Management Treatment Research Articles

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.

Golden apple snail management (Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck) using integrated pest management (IPM) and non-integrated pest management (non-IPM) on paddy cultivation

The golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck) is one of the main pests of rice (Oryza sativa Linnaeus) that can be controlled by integrated pest management (IPM). This research aimed to compare the population and the attack rate of golden apple snails and rice production using IPM and non-IPM. This research was conducted from April to August 2021 in Nagari Koto Tuo Sijunjung Regency, West Sumatera. It used an experimental design that compares IPM and non-IPM treatments and analyzed with a t-test. The control techniques in the IPM were making trenches and maintaining the water level very low, using filters on water inlets and outlets, using ripe Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamark skin as bait, using botanical pesticides from Nothopanax scutellarium Merr leaves, and planting 21-day-old seedlings. The parameters observed were the attacked clumps (%), attacked tillers (%), golden apple snail population (individuals/m2), and rice production (kg/m2). The result showed that the percentage of rice clumps attacked in the IPM treatment was 11.33%, while the non-IPM treatment was 54.66%. The percentage of rice tillers attacked in the IPM treatment was 11.28%, while the non-IPM treatment was 32.51%. The population of golden apple snails in the IPM treatment was 0.19 individuals/m2, while in the non-IPM treatment was 2.04 individuals/m2. The production of rice plants under IPM treatment was 2,69 kg/m2, while the non-IPM treatment was 0,71 kg/m2. The implementation of IPM by combining various techniques effectively controlled golden apple snail attacks on clumps and tillers, and increased rice production compared to non-IPM.

Acoustic Comparisons of Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) Mortality in Naturally Infested Date Palms after Injection with Entomopathogenic Fungi or Nematodes, Aluminum Phosphide Fumigation, or Insecticidal Spray Treatments.

Red palm weevil (RPW) management is important to the economic success of date palm agriculture. Monitoring with acoustic sensors was conducted in naturally infested trees in date palm orchards for six months after treatments with entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae), entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae), aluminum phosphide, emamectin benzoate, or fipronil to evaluate their efficacy in an integrated pest management treatment vs. a distilled water injection. Reductions in the mean rates of RPW sound impulse bursts over time after treatment were used as indicators of RPW mortality. Entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes, aluminum phosphide, and emamectin benzoate were the most effective treatments, reducing RPW impulse burst rates within 2-3-months to levels indicating absence of infestation. However, when applied as a spray, fipronil had only a minor effect. The results indicate that treatments utilizing entomopathogenic fungi or nematodes can beneficially manage RPW in palm orchards and can help to limit treatments that may induce insecticide resistance or cause human and environmental harm. Furthermore, the use of an acoustic sensor can be beneficial in monitoring the activities of insect borers inside the tree trunk.

Integrated Insect Pest Management Techniques for Rice

In modern agriculture, climate change, environmental degradation, and natural resource depletion constitute one of the major potential issues for sustainable crop production and environmental management. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a promising technology for the environment. Insect pests and weeds have long posed a danger to rice production systems, resulting in severe output losses. Although insect, pest, and weed control has remained the most efficient plant protection tool, environmental risks have prompted scientists to propose alternate pest management options. The understanding of sustainable conventional agriculture prompted the broad deployment of integrated pesticide management (IPM). IPM is a multimodal pesticide management method that aims to avoid negative environmental impacts. This method is critical for delivering healthy, sustainable food to the world’s rising population. Rice is a staple crop that many developing countries rely upon for national stability and economic progress. On the other hand, rice pests represent a major biotic barrier to world rice production. This review aims to provide information on major rice pests, their identification, biology, and various IPM treatments, particularly biological management strategies. To create a sustainable rice agroecosystem, continual research and training on IPM technologies will be required.

Foraging Behaviour and Population Dynamics of Asian Weaver Ants: Assessing Its Potential as Biological Control Agent of the Invasive Bagworms Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) in Oil Palm Plantations

The bagworm (Metisa plana) is a recurrent indigenous invasive defoliator in oil palm plantations. Moderate foliar injury can cost up to 40% yield loss and more for years. The main objective of this review is to disseminate published research demonstrating the versatile services that would benefit farmers by adopting the Asian weaver ant into their pest management agenda. Oecophylla smaragdina is a natural indigenous enemy applied as a successful biological control agent (BCA) and strong component of integrated pest management (IPM) against important damaging pest infestations of commercial crops in the Asia-Pacific region. Farmers facing invasion could benefit by introducing Oecophylla ants as a treatment. The foraging behavior and population dynamics of this species are poorly documented, and hence need further evaluation. Ants of the Oecophylla genus, while exhibiting an intrinsic obligate arboreal pattern, demonstrate additional lengthy diurnal ground activity. The absolute territorial characteristic via continuous surveillance is significantly valuable to maintain pest balance. The exploratory scheme of major workers over large territories is derived from their inner predation instinct. The insufficient understanding of the population dynamics of this weaver ant species diverges from the knowledge of underground species. However, population density estimations of weaver ants by direct nest visual recordings are practicable and viable. The abundance assessment of individual underground ant species colonies by excavation ends with their extinction, which is not a sustainable model for O. smaragdina. Mathematical model estimation by simulation could not resolve this issue, adding inaccuracy to the deficiency of experimental proof. Thus, long-term monitoring of the population dynamics in real time in the field is compulsory to obtain a valid dataset. Oecophylla colonies, with the criteria of population stability, individual profusion, and permanent daily patrol services, are eligible as a BCA and alternative IPM treatment. The last decades have witnessed the closing of the scientific applied research gap between Asian and African species in favor of O. longinoda with comprehensive novel findings. By introducing Oecophylla ants, two main goals are reached: easing the burden of management costs for injurious insects and ending the practice of applying highly toxic pesticides that are harmful to non-target taxa, thus promoting environmental restoration.

Effect of three pest-control management systems on abundance, species richness, and selected traits of spiders (Araneae) assemblage in apple orchard

There are various modern pest-control management systems used in the current apple production, such as integrated pest management (IPM) or organic systems. All aims to support occurrence of natural enemies that should help to reduce populations of pests. Here we investigated the effect of fungicide-treated and fungicide-free (resistant tree varieties) treatment combined with biological, IPM, and conventional systems on spiders, as the major group of natural enemies occurring on foliage of apple trees. The biological treatment was based on the use of biopesticides; IPM system was based on the use of selective insecticides, conventional included the use of broad-spectrum insecticides. Abandoned plot served as a control. The study was done for three consecutive years. Spiders were sampled from canopies by beating at weekly intervals during season. We found that fungicide-treated plots had lower abundance of spiders for two years but not species richness than fungicide-free plots. Among the three pest-control management systems, IPM and conventional supported greater spider abundance but not species richness than the biological treatment. Comparison of spider abundance before and after insecticide applications revealed that only very few pesticides, particularly the broad-spectrum ones, reduced spider numbers. In addition, we focused on the comparison of three traits (body size, maturity, fecundity) among treatments. Of six species, only Philodromus cespitum showed a smaller body size on biological than the other treatments. There were three species in which adults occurred earlier on conventional treatment than on the other treatments. Neither clutch size of Phylloneta impressa nor egg size was different among treatments. The small though significant differences in abundance, richness, and selected traits, found among IPM, conventional, and biological treatments and the control show that these pest-control management systems had similar effect on spiders. Use of IPM system combined with scab resistant apple varieties is recommended.

Study of Integrated Pest Management Strategy on The Population of Fruit Flies (Bactrocera spp.) in Red Chili Cultivation (Capsicum Annuum)

The fruit fly Bactrocera spp. is the main pest other than Thrips in red chilies, which can reduce plant productivity by 30-60%, so that a specific method of handling this pest is needed. This study examines the application of conventional and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies to fruit fly populations in red chili cultivation ( Capsicum annuum ). Observation of fruit fly population used the comparative method with methyl eugenol traps and incubation of infected fruit. Determination of the research sample based on purposive sampling method and analyzed using descriptive analysis. The test parameters were the fruit fly population indicated by the host's density and hosts' availability in the applied IPM and conventional treatments. The results showed that the fruit fly species encountered were dominated by B. dorsalis with a percentage of 98.18% and B. carambola 1.82%. The fruit fly population's fluctuation in IPM and conventional treatments were significantly different, as evidenced by a one-way variance test at a significance level of 99%. The population of fruit flies in the IPM concept was 547 flies, while the conventional concept was 1546 flies. The percentage of fruit fly population in red chili plants with IPM treatment was 48% smaller than conventional treatments. Keywords: Bactrocera spp., IPM, Population, Red chilies.

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

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.

Response Of Growth, Yield And Fruit Quality Of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) To Different Organic Fertilizer Treatments Under Two Pest Control Programs Against Tuta Absoluta In a New Valley-Egypt

A field experiment was conducted at Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley University during 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 to study the impact of some organic fertilizers (poultry, cattle , sheep manures) and mineral fertilizers under, Traditional pest control (TPC) and Integrated pest management (IPM) on growth, yield and fruit quality of tomato cv. Rawan F1. The results indicated that mineral fertilization significantly surpassed organic manures in all vegetative growth characters, yield and yield components. Organic manure treatments significantly increased fruit contents of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, vitamin C, licobin, total soluble solids and total sugars compared to chemical fertilization in both seasons. TPC followed by IPM treatment exhibited best results for all studied characters compared to control , except number of fruits/plant and unmarketable yield, fruit content of carotenoid, total phenol, total flavonoid, water content and acidity. The differences between TPC and IPM programs were insignificant for yield and its components. Furthermore, interaction between chemical fertilization and traditional program gave highest growth and yield parameters, while interaction between poultry manure and traditional program gave fruits higher chemical content compared to other interactions. Based on results, it could be recommended that fertilized tomato plants with mineral treatment under IPM gave the best yield and the highest reduction percentage of infested leaflets with T. absoluta larvae and of adult moths/trap/day, although TPC gave a slight insignificant increment in tomato yield, while soil application of composted poultry manure before tomato planting by 10.76 ton/fed, under TPC improved the quality of tomato fruits.

Long term impact of nutrient management options on yield, and nutrient uptake by soybean and soil properties under soybean (Glycine max) - wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system in the Indian Himalayas

Long term effect of nutrient management practices in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cropping system were monitored after 7 years on the changes of different chemical and microbiological properties of soil (Mollisols) at Norman E Borloug Crop Research Centre, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand (Himalayan region, India). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with four nutrient management options with four replications with soybean variety PS 1347. Results recorded that the integrated use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients (50% organic + 50% inorganic) showed highest grain (1.81 t/ha) and straw (3.11 t/ha) yield, and N (121.61 and 58.12 kg/ha) and P (11.85 and 13.83 kg/ha) uptake in grain and straw, respectively when compared with rest of the treatments (100% organic treatment, 100% inorganic treatment and INM (Integrated Nutrient Management) + IPM (Integrated Pest Management). The treatment 50% organic + 50% inorganic sources of nutrient also showed 56.4% significantly higher nodule number than with 100% organic treatment at 60 DAS (days after sowing) which recorded lowest nodule number (24.6/plant). Though, INM + IPM treatment was better than 100% organic treatment with respect to nodulation, yield, nutrient concentration and uptake, but microbial biomass and dehydrogenase activity were significantly higher in 100% organic treatment than the other treatments. Therefore, 50% organic + 50% inorganic treatment was found best for most of the symbiotic, plant growth and yield parameters of soybean possibly by saving water, energy and nutrient resources which would help in maintaining the sustainability of the production system over the years.

Population of Thrips sp. on the Integrated Pest Management and Conventional farming on Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) at Bayem Village, Sub-District Kasembon, Malang

This research aimed to find out an abundance of Thrips sp. population on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and conventional farming at chilli plantation. The research was conducted on August until November 2012 at the Bayem Village, Sub-distric Kasembon, Malang, East Java and Entomology Laboratory, Departement of Plant Protection, Agriculture Faculty, Brawijaya University. The methods to determine abundance population Thrips sp. was using quadrant with 4 plants samples in 1 beds were taken. The observation was using 16 plants, on the each treatment of IPM and conventional farming. The result showed that the population of Thrips sp. (nymph) on IPM and conventional was not significantly different, while the population of Thrips sp. (adult) in the IPM treatment was significantly higher compared to conventional. Plant height on IPM treatment was higher than conventional treatment. The statistical analysis on Thrips sp. attacks indicated, that the intensity of damage on IPM treatment (0.16 %) and conventional treatment (0,14 %) were not significantly different. The yield of chilli on the IPM (31%) was significantly higher than compared to conventional treatment. Chilli cultivation costs on IPM was higher (2.5%) rather than the conventional. The yield of chilli plant per hectare on IPM had advantage higher (37%) than conventional. The calculation of the BCR at the IPM was higher (27%) than the conventional farming. Key words: Abundance, analysis of farming , IPM, Thrips sp.

Assessing the value and pest management window provided by neonicotinoid seed treatments for management of soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) in the Upper Midwestern United States.

A 2-year, multi-state study was conducted to assess the benefits of using soybean seed treated with the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam to manage soybean aphid in the upper Midwestern USA and compare this approach with an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that included monitoring soybean aphids and treating with foliar-applied insecticide only when the economic threshold was reached. Concentrations of thiamethoxam in soybean foliage were also quantified throughout the growing season to estimate the pest management window afforded by insecticidal seed treatments. Both the IPM treatment and thiamethoxam-treated seed resulted in significant reductions in cumulative aphid days when soybean aphid populations reached threshold levels. However, only the IPM treatment resulted in significant yield increases. Analysis of soybean foliage from thiamethoxam-treated seeds indicated that tissue concentrations of thiamethoxam were statistically similar to plants grown from untreated seeds beginning at the V2 growth stage, indicating that the period of pest suppression for soybean aphid is likely to be relatively short. These data demonstrate that an IPM approach, combining scouting and foliar-applied insecticide where necessary, remains the best option for treatment of soybean aphids, both in terms of protecting the yield potential of the crop and of break-even probability for producers. Furthermore, we found that thiamethoxam concentrations in foliage are unlikely to effectively manage soybean aphids for most of the pests' activity period across the region. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Impact assessment of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy for suppression of mango-infesting fruit flies in Kenya

We utilized two waves of data collected from a sample of mango farmers in Meru County in Kenya to evaluate the impact of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy for controlling fruit flies in mango-production. We specifically explored the effect of five IPM practices including parasitoids (p) and Metarhizium anisopliae-based biopesticides (biop), orchard sanitation (os), spot spray of food bait (fb) and male annihilation technique (mat) on three outcome indicators: farmer pesticide expenditure, farm-level mango fruit yield losses and profit. We fitted difference-in-difference and household fixed effects regression models that account for unobserved heterogeneity across households. Our estimates differentiated the impact of the different IPM components, in comparison to farmers' practices as a control group. The descriptive statistics of the study show that application of the IPM strategy resulted in a 48% average increase in mango net income compared to the previous season irrespective of the IPM combination component used. The extent of improvement in net income, however, varied across treatments; treatments posfb and posmatfb registering the greatest improvements whereas the pos treatment generated the smallest increase in net income. The study findings further show mango yield losses due to fruit fly infestation reduced by an average of 19% among the IPM users. We also found a reduction in expenditure on pesticides, albeit across all the households. Regression model estimates show that, except for IPM combinations posbiop and pos, farmers using the rest of the IPM practices recorded significantly higher incomes from mango compared to their counterparts in the control group. We also noted that although average expenditure on pesticides decreased across all mango farmer households, the reduction was comparable between the treated and control farmer households. Our findings however, show significant decreases in mango damage due to fruit fly infestations among all farmers using the different IPM treatments. Our study recommends combinations of affordable and easy to apply and maintain IPM strategies that could yield significant impact on mango fruit fly control.

Response of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to increasing growing season temperature under different Soil management and crop protection regimes in the upcountry of Sri Lanka

The national average potato yield of Sri Lanka is lower than its global average with the absence of an optimum temperature regime for tuber bulking being a major contributory factor. Increasing air temperatures due to the enhanced greenhouse effect have the potential to further reduce potato yields in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to determine the response of phenology, growth and yield of potato to increasing temperature in the upcountry of Sri Lanka, which is the principal potato-growing region of the country. Furthermore, effectiveness of an integrated pest management (IPM) package and a modified soil management regime aimed at soil moisture conservation and reducing excessive use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers were also tested. A field experiment was conducted during Maha 2012/2013 at Sita-Eliya (SE) and Rahangala (RG) of Sri Lanka, which represented a temperature increase of 5.2 °C from 15.1 °C to 20.3 °C. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) variety Arnova was grown with four treatments: T1 – Recommended crop management; T2 – Mulching with recommended crop protection (non- IPM) and fertilization (100 % inorganic fertilizer); T3 – Mulching with IPM and recommended fertilization and T4 – Mulching with IPM plus 25% of N provided as organic amendments. Crops matured a month earlier at the higher temperature site RG, i.e. in 81 days as compared to 111 days at SE. However, the thermal duration from planting to maturity was approximately similar at both sites (i.e. 1689 °Cd and 1662 °Cd at SE and RG, respectively). Crop growth rates were higher at RG, thus compensating for the lower crop duration so that total dry weights at harvest and tuber yields of T1 did not differ significantly between the two sites. At both sites, the tuber yield of T2 did not differ significantly from T1. The growth and yield response to mulching was greater at RG due to the lower rainfall and low soil fertility as compared to SE. The IPM treatments (i.e. T3 and T4) resulted in an effective control of the incidence and severity of late blight at SE but not at RG, where the prevailing temperature regime was optimum for spore formation of the late blight pathogen. Consequently, while the tuber yields did not show significant inter-treatment variation at SE, at RG the IPM treatments (i.e. T3 and T4) showed significantly lower yields than the non-IPM (T1 and T2) treatments. Analysis of the inter-relationships between tuber yield, yield components and growth data showed that potato yields of the present study were primarily source-limited. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 25 (4): 555 – 569 (2014)

Comparison of Integrated Pest Management approaches and conventional (non-IPM) practices in late-winter-season cauliflower in Northern India

On-farm research was conducted in Northern India during the late-winter seasons of 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 to develop and validate an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach for cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis L. subvar. Cauliflora DC). Cauliflower has traditionally received considerable use of pesticides to manage insect pests, such as the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), and diseases such as damping-off and Alternaria leaf spot. This study compared the conventional farmers' practice, which is pesticide-based and is a non-IPM approach, with an IPM approach, which used cultural, chemical and biological methods to manage the insect and two diseases of cauliflower. Yields for both seasons were consistently greater in the IPM treatment, averaging 24 t/ha (10% greater yields) in the IPM treatment than in the non-IPM treatment. Economic analysis showed higher net economic returns (1410 USD/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (3.6:1) than from the non-IPM treatment (1152 USD/ha net return; 2.9:1 benefit: cost ratio). Compared to the non-IPM treatment, growers using IPM reduced the amount (a.i./ha) of pesticide by 63.8% and the number of pesticide applications by more than 50%. In addition, the IPM treatment replaced hazardous pesticides with safer bio-pesticides and reduced-risk pesticides. This study demonstrated that IPM can be cost-effective for managing pests and diseases of cauliflower in late winter.

Insect Pests and Integrated Pest Management in Museums, Libraries and Historic Buildings.

Insect pests are responsible for substantial damage to museum objects, historic books and in buildings like palaces or historic houses. Different wood boring beetles (Anobium punctatum, Hylotrupes bajulus, Lyctus sp. or introduced species), the biscuit beetle (Stegobium paniceum), the cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne), different Dermestides (Attagenus sp., Anthrenus sp., Dermestes sp., Trogoderma sp.), moths like the webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella), Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) and booklice (Psocoptera) can damage materials, objects or building parts. They are the most common pests found in collections in central Europe, but most of them are distributed all over the world. In tropical countries, termites, cockroaches and other insect pests are also found and result in even higher damage of wood and paper or are a commune annoyance in buildings. In this short review, an introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in museums is given, the most valuable collections, preventive measures, monitoring in museums, staff responsible for the IPM and chemical free treatment methods are described. In the second part of the paper, the most important insect pests occurring in museums, archives, libraries and historic buildings in central Europe are discussed with a description of the materials and object types that are mostly infested and damaged. Some information on their phenology and biology are highlighted as they can be used in the IPM concept against them.

Reducing losses inflicted by insect pests on cashew, using weaver ants as a biological control agent

* In Benin cashew plantations, yields and nut quality are lost mainly as a result of insect pests. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of the African weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda as a biocontrol agent against Beninese cashew pests. * In a 2-year study, nut yield and quality were compared among: (i) trees with weaver ants O. longinoda; (ii) trees where weaver ants were sugar-fed; (iii) integrated pest management (IPM) trees with weaver ants combined with fruit fly bait spray; and (iv) control trees receiving no control measures. * All treatments with ants showed significantly higher yields than the control, with the IPM treatment leading to the highest yield. Compared with the control trees, the ants, ant sugar-fed and the IPM trees produced 78%, 122% and 151% more nuts, respectively. Nuts produced on control trees were of a higher quality on average because they were less damaged by thrips (probably because the fruit fly bait worked as a contact poison on thrips); this was also the case for the IPM treatment. In absolute numbers, however, trees in ant treatments produced more first-quality nuts. * To achieve a broader and effective control of both coreid bugs and thrips, a combination of weaver ants and supplementary compatible control measures is recommended. (Resume d'auteur)

Disease management of organic tomato under greenhouse conditions in the Jordan Valley

Production of organic tomato under greenhouse conditions has significantly increased in the last few years. Although greenhouse systems provide the option of off-season production and expansion of markets over traditional outdoor field systems, such systems also pose unique challenges with regard to pest management. An experiment was conducted in the Jordan Valley during the fall of 2011/2012 to evaluate the effects of integrated pest management that combines different preventive and control measures, on diseases and pests of tomato grown under greenhouse conditions. The experiment consisted of three treatments (organic farming, conventional farming and integrated pest management (IPM) farming) with four replicates arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The plant diseases and pests were monitored in all treatments. Powdery mildew disease was recorded at 6 weeks after transplanting in all treatments and at 22 weeks after transplanting, the disease incidence was 74%, 68% and 57% in the IPM, conventional and organic treatments, respectively. However, the disease severity did not exceed 1.5 in any of the treatments. Early blight disease appeared at 16 weeks after transplanting and at 22 weeks after transplanting, the disease incidence was 62%, 54% and 47% in the IPM, conventional and organic treatments, respectively. Neither bacterial symptoms nor nematode symptoms were observed in any of the treatments. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests revealed the presence of Tomato ring spot virus (ToRSV) and Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV). Overall, the study showed that there were no significant differences between the three treatments with regard to tomato plant height, width, circumference, number of flowers/cluster, number of clusters/plant, fruit yield, shoot dry weight and root dry weight. Furthermore, several quality parameters of tomato fruits were studied; dry weight, lycopene content and pH were found to be significantly higher in the organic tomatoes.

PESTonFARM – stochastic model of on‐farm insect behaviour and their response to IPM interventions

AbstractPESTonFARM is an agent‐based pattern‐oriented model with elements of cellular automata, developed to simulate insect behaviour within seasonally changing mosaic of farming landscapes, under the challenge of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) actions. The model is based on a software construct (‘virtual insect’), acting according to a pre‐defined set of behavioural rules. Each ‘virtual insect’ acts independently, developing its individually unique behavioural sequence and life history. The local on‐farm conditions and the planned IPM interventions can be represented through user‐defined spatial and temporal parameters. Incompatibility among IPM treatments, for example, pesticide vs. biological control, also could be taken into account. Unit costs of IPM interventions and crop values can be specified to obtain cost/benefit assessments for each IPM scenario. The model emulates the behaviour of a pest population during a virtual IPM experiment, and each run generates stochastically equivalent but unique sets of results, which functionally correspond to a replication of an on‐farm experiment. By taking into account the local farm structures and their spatiotemporal variations the model alludes to the concept of ‘precision agriculture’. Once customized to the local conditions and validated, the model can support site‐specific forecasting, decision‐making and training, serving as a component of the ‘precision IPM’ toolbox. To demonstrate the concept, an example of the model application in management of the cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cherasi, is briefly presented and discussed.

A three-year field validation study to improve the integrated pest management of hot pepper.

To improve the integrated pest management (IPM) of hot pepper, field study was conducted in Hwasung from 2010 to 2012 and an IPM system was developed to help growers decide when to apply pesticides to control anthracnose, tobacco budworm, Phytophthora blight, bacterial wilt, and bacterial leaf spot. The three field treatments consisted of IPM sprays following the forecast model advisory, a periodic spray at 7-to-10-day intervals, and no spray (control). The number of annual pesticide applications for the IPM treatment ranged from six to eight, whereas the plots subjected to the periodic treatment received pesticide 11 or 12 times annually for three years. Compared to the former strategy, our improved IPM strategy features more intense pest management, with frequent spraying for anthracnose and mixed spraying for tobacco budworm or Phytophthora blight. The incidences for no pesticide control in 2010, 2011, and 2012 were 91, 97.6, and 41.4%, respectively. Conversely, the incidences for the IPM treatment for those years were 7.6, 62.6, and 2%, and the yields from IPM-treated plots were 48.6 kg, 12.1 kg, and 48.8 kg. The incidence and yield in the IPM-treated plots were almost the same as those of the periodic treatment except in 2011, in which no unnecessary sprays were given, meaning that the IPM control was quite successful. From reviewing eight years of field work, sophisticated forecasts that optimize pesticide spray timing reveal that reliance on pesticides can be reduced without compromising yield. Eco-friendly strategies can be implemented in the pest management of hot pepper.