Integrated pest management or IPM emerged in the s and s with the recognition that overreliance on chemical or synthetic pesticides can cause environmental problems. This backgrounder defines IPM, introduces the principles of IPM, and uses examples from managing various insect pests to illustrate the principles. It includes, among others, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides.
It includes chemical pesticides and biological pesticides biopesticides. Industrialized countries have y banned or strongly restricted many of these pesticides. Pesticide poisonings and hospitalizations are common in some regions.
There are many ways to understand how IPM works. One way is to think of IPM as a six-step process. These six steps are not always chronological, and often overlap.
Mistaken identification may result in ineffective or even damaging actions. For example, farmers could misidentify plant damage due to overwatering as a fungal infection.
Once you correctly identify a pest, knowing its lifecycle will help you decide if management actions are necessary, and the best times to use management actions. Egg: Eggs are round, and change colour from green to light brown before hatching in days. The adult female lays egg masses on the surface of lower leaves that contain about tiny eggs covered in a felt-like layer of grey-pink scales.
