INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT |
One form of reducing the amount of pesticide used in
agriculture is integrated pest management. With this method a variety of techniques
can be utilized in combination to decrease the effects of pest species on crops. By
use of alternate methods, the need for pesticide can be either decreased or eliminated
altogether. Some of the options available are listed below.
CROP ROTATION |
Vary the plants which are sown to discourage insects which feed on only one species. |
| Plant several crops at the same time to discourage pests which prefer one species. If their food source is limited, the pest species will not increase to the point where it becomes unmanageable. | HETEROCULTURE |
TRAP CROPS |
Plant crops which are known to be attractive to some pests in areas away from the principle crop being harvested. For example, plant the attractive crop on the edges of the area being sown with the desired crop. Alternately, plant a large quantity of a desirable crop in a separate field just far enough away from the main crop to be enticing to the pest as a choice. |
| Introduce natural predators or bacteria which feed on problematic insects. This must be done carefully and with forethought because the introduction of other species can exacerbate the problem by inducing another problem into the equation. If the predator species you introduce has no natural enemies itself, its population can explode and create unforeseen difficulties. | NATURAL PREDATORS |
GENETIC VARIATIONS |
There are two methods of genetic manipulation. One is to crossbreed plants for insect-resistant characteristics. This method has been used successfully in the past. However, there is some controversy over genetically-engineered crops. The other method is to introduce genetically-altered pest individuals into the existing pest population. The most common practice is to place sterile adults into the population so that reproduction is curtailed. |
| Traps can be used to lure pests to their deaths. Experiments with pheremones have shown that with specific applications of pheremones males can be lured to areas where females are believed to be. Here they can be killed by means of a sticky pesticide substance which keeps them from escaping. Alternately, pheremones can be spread over a wide area so that the natural pheremones given off by females are masked by the fake pheremones. This has the effect of confusing the males about the location of the females, thus reducing the chance of reproduction. | CHEMICAL CONTROL |
CULTURAL CONTROL |
Scarecrows or noisemaking devices can be used to frighten pests. Some of these practices do not come to mind easily. For example, agricultural inspection stations at state or country borders can help keep pests from being introduced from another area. |