Non-Pesticide Pest Control

Non-Pesticide Pest Control Introduction

• Pest control methods/tactics are specific techniques to reduce pest populations or their impact on the crop.
• These tactics are grouped by the form/manner of the control agent used.
• The module focuses on non-pesticide control, emphasizing biological control.

Theoretical Basis of Control

• Control tactics target ecological processes affecting a pest population.
• Tactics enhance mortality, reduce natality, prevent immigration, hasten emigration, and/or retard growth and development.
• These tactics manipulate/introduce elements (natural enemies, crop types) into the pest's environment.

Regulatory Control (Legislative/Legal)

• All legislation/regulation preventing pest entry, establishment, and spread; involves legal/regulatory actions to control pests.
• Aims to prevent entry/establishment of foreign pests and/or eradicate/suppress established pests via legal means.

Strategies For Regulatory Control

• Prevent pest entry by quarantining pests.
• Eradicate regulated non-quarantine pests
• Contain the spread
• Suppress population numbers.

Quarantine vs Regulated Pests

• Quarantine pests are not present in an area
• Regulated non-quarantine pests are present in an area.
• Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) determines if a pest should be regulated.

Pest Risk Analysis (PRA)

• PRA evaluates biological, scientific, and economic evidence.
• PRA determines if a pest should be regulated and the strength of phytosanitary measures.
• Defined by FAO, IPPC, evidence includes pest biology/ecology, economic impacts, and political implications.

PRA Stages

• Stage 1 (Initiation): Identify target pests and entry pathways.
• Stage 2 (Pest Categorization & Risk Assessment): Determine quarantine status, assess the risks of introduction/spread, and assess potential economic consequences.
• Stage 3 (Risk Management): Determine actions to handle risks.

Types of Quarantine Laws

• International: FAO-IPPC on SPS Agreement.
• Domestic: Congress, Department of Agriculture, and local government issuance.

Quarantine Protocol Aims

• Establish pest barriers and restrict movement to reduce pest introduction risks.
• Inspect goods at the point of origin (quarantine certification), point of entry, or in high-risk zones via field monitoring/surveys.
• Actions include returning goods to the origin or destroying them.

Philippine Quarantine System

• Plant Quarantine Division of the Bureau of Plant Industry is under the Department of Agriculture.
• Conducts PRA for imported agricultural products and issues Phytosanitary Certifications for import/export.
• Governed by Presidential Decree No. 1433 (1978), Republic Act 3027, and Republic Act 3767 (1930).

Regulatory Control of Non-Quarantine Pests

• Eradication programs eliminate newly introduced pests in a geographic area
• Containment Programs prevent the spread of introduced pests that cannot be eradicated
• Suppression Programs suppress sudden pest outbreaks over wide areas

Quarantine/Regulation in the Philippines

• Lists pests declared under quarantine/regulation, including pathogens like Papaya Ringspot Virus, Citrus Greening, and Mango Malformation of Bunchy-top.

Biological Control (Biocon)

• Biocontrol is the control of plant pests by living organisms under natural or artificial circumstances.
• Natural control is mortality factors without human intervention.
• Biological control manipulates natural enemies to control pests

Natural Enemy vs Biocon Agent (BCA)

• Natural enemies are naturally-occurring populations.
• Biocon agents are mass-produced populations released into the environment.

Biocontrol Advantages

• Alternatives to pesticides and tools for resistance management.
• Pollution or risk-free pest control with promotion of biological balance and more permanent solutions
• Safe and cheap for pest problems

Types of Biocontrol Agents Against Arthropod Pests

• Parasites do not kill the host and all life stages are dependent on host
• Parasitoid Kills the host and has a free-living stage in the life cycle

Pathogens

• Disease causing microoganisms:
  • Bacteria
  • Actinomycetes
  • Fungi
  • Viruses
  • Nematodes

Characteristics of Good Biocontrol Agent

• Good Biocontrol Agents are generally stable, effective at low concentrations, in-expensive, and effective against a wide range of pests.
• These agents are also non-toxic to humans, resistant to pesticides, non-pests pathogenic to the crop, and compatible with cultural practices.

Approaches to Biological Control

• Applied preemptively before the pest problem is intense
• Applied reactively when pest problems are severe
  • Introduction of new species
  • Conservation (do nothing/modification of environment)
  • Augmentation (artificial release)

Delivery of Biocontrol Agents

• Release (augmentation/inundation)
• Spraying
• Soil drenching
• Seed treatment
• Dipping planting materials/fruits

Reasons for Slow Adoption of Biological Control

• BCAs (biocontrol agents) are slow acting
• Pesticides are popular as they are fast acting and spectacularly effective.

Autocidal Control

• Autocidal Control involves tactics that cause pests to contribute to their destruction,
• Technique is ingenious and highly publicized

Advantages of Autocidal Control

• The effect can be exerted in untreated individuals of interbreeding population
• The effect is rapid
• There is a lack of biological defense

Types of Autocidal Control

• Male Sterile Technique
  • Sterile releases into the population
  • Sterile male insects compete with fertile female
  • Reduces rate of reproduction

Essential factors for success of Male Sterile Technique

• The area of release must be geographically isolated
• Sterile male must be sexually competitive
• The pest must be amenable to laboratory rearing
• It must have an extremely large budget.

Genetic Control

• Decreases the ecological fitness of pest species by introducing lethal genes into the population.

Behavioral Control

• Tactics affect pest behavior, reducing pest populations using:
  • Chemical Attractants
  • Repellents

Chemical Attractants

• Chemicals cause insects to make oriented movements towards the source (pheromones like Lure for Trap)

Chemical Attractants Utilies

• Detection and survey
  • Direct pest control
  • Alteration of normal behavior

Repellents

• Chemicals cause insects to make oriented movement away from its source
• Used for the protection of domestic animals and Humans

Biotechnological Control Defined

• Bios (life) + technology (product of science)
• It uses living organisms to improve quality and enhance quality

Benefits of Crop Protection Under Biotechnological Control

• Improved effectiveness of biocontrol agents and improves enivornmental quality
• Monitoring and detection capabilities ELISA (monoclonal antibodies,cDNA probe,PCR,Etc.)
• Improved Pest tolerance of crop through Bt corn, protein coat mediated resistance, and plants with cutinase

Disadvantages of Biotechnological Control

• Toxicity of gene products like Bt corn
• Risk of Environmental risk:
  • GMOs becoming pests
  • Gene transfer to related species
  • Displacement of indigenous flora
  • Loss of diversity

Safety Checks for GMO

• A case-by-case assessment must be done before commercial release to assess benefits and impact
• Environmental safety impact non-living and living components

Host Plant Resistance (HPR)

• The ability of a plant to withstand or overcome pest attacks, leading to lesser damage or effects on yield quality.
• Resistance is based on morphology, behavior and physiology

Mechanisms of Plant Resistance

• Host Evasion and Resistance is dependant on Mechansisms in HPR
  • "Host Escape" has geographical or meteorological barriers i.e soil is not conducive to plant pathogen
  • Induced Resistance has a plant defense initiated by attacks of pests by production of anti-microbial or anti-pest substances

Antixenosis

• Deters pests before colonization
• Prevent pests from attacking host plant
• Causing Insects to starve,refuse to oviposit on resistant plant
• Chemical - Attractive chemicals are absent
• Morphological - Hairs/Pubescence deters leafhoppers

Insect components for host resistance

• Host habitat finding and host finding uses volatile chemicals (semiochemicals such as silhouettes)
• Host recognition
• Host acceptance uses tactile characteristcs and chemical exudates

Plant resistance factors

• Plant structures, textures, and tastes
• Nutrition and quality

Altering for more insects resistant

• Succelence, toughness, hairs, spines. thorns - Colors and Shape - Secondary metabolites - Chemical factors - Enzymes, hormones, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and phosphorous compounds Primary metabolites

Abiosis

• Toxic Metabolites
• Absence of Nutrients
• HPR Mechanisms
• Inhibitory

Tolerance Characteristics

• Longer developments
• Production of critical metabolites
• Presence to toxins( nicotine)
• Deterrents( silica)

Immunity

• Total resistance
• Applicable to pathogens

Factors Influencing Expression of HPR Mechanisms

• Temperature
• Soil fertility
• Soil PH

Genetic Basis of Resistance

• Single-gene based vertical resistance and "all or nothing effect"

Host Resistance in Plant Diseases

• Race specific or susceptible(vertical)
• Exhibit tow or moderate resistance(Horizontal)

HPR Importance

• Reduces pesticides used
• Least expenses
• Singularly effectiv

HPR Development

• Use of hybrids or genetic engineering

Cultural Control

• Suppression using cutltural practice
• Normally used for growing crops

Advantages of Cultural Control

• Effective and cheap
• Comaptible with other methods

Disadvantages of Cultural Control

• Provides effective control

Requirements for Cultural Control

• Requires crop phenology
• Pest ecology
• Pest biology and life cycle

Other Methods for Cultural Control

• Combination
• Reducing pest reproduction
• Reduce intital infection