Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Quiz

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• A holistic approach to managing pests, combining physical, cultural, biological, and chemical controls
• Aims to minimize economic, health, and environmental risks
• Involves:
  • Identifying pest thresholds and action levels
  • Monitoring pest populations and crop damage
  • Implementing a combination of control methods

Pest Identification

• Accurate identification of pests is crucial for effective management
• Methods:
  • Visual inspection
  • Traps (e.g., sticky traps, bait traps)
  • Monitoring for signs of pest activity (e.g., damage, frass)
  • Laboratory analysis (e.g., DNA sequencing)

Biological Controls

• Use of living organisms or their products to control pests
• Examples:
  • Predators (e.g., lady beetles, lacewings)
  • Parasitoids (e.g., wasps, flies)
  • Pathogens (e.g., bacteria, viruses)
  • Microbial pesticides (e.g., Bt, spinosad)

Chemical Controls

• Use of pesticides to control pests
• Types:
  • Insecticides (e.g., organophosphates, neonicotinoids)
  • Herbicides (e.g., glyphosate)
  • Fungicides (e.g., copper-based products)
  • Considerations:
    • Resistance management
    • Non-target effects (e.g., bee toxicity)
    • Environmental fate (e.g., persistence, mobility)

Cultural Controls

• Modifications to agricultural practices to prevent or manage pests
• Examples:
  • Crop rotation and planning
  • Sanitation and hygiene
  • Irrigation management
  • Pruning and training
  • Resistant cultivars and breeding
  • Biological and physical barriers