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This book describes in straightforward language what is required for farmers to successfully implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in cropping and grazing operations. It explains the differences between conventional pesticide-based controls and IPM, as well as the advantages of IPM and the failings of conventional pest control.
Effective control of pests depends on a number of approaches not just chemical or genetic engineering. The first chapters cover the most critical component of IPM, the identification and monitoring of pests and beneficials. Most farmers and advisors cannot identify the target pest or say how many pests are attacking a crop. Without this information it is impossible to make appropriate decisions on which control agents to use, especially where pests are resistant to insecticides.
The identification guide will help raise farmers awarenesso the beneficials that also exist on farms and show how they can be used.The remaining chapters of the book deal with the control agents: biological, cultural and chemical. The biological control agents discussed include both native and introduced agents that attack pests. Cultural changes that have led to an increase in the incidence or severity of pest attack are also examined.
The chapter on chemical control describes the different ways that chemicals can affect beneficial species. It describes acute, sub-lethal and transient toxicities of pesticides, drawing on examples from horticulture where necessary. This chapter will make farmers aware of the different effects, both good and bad, that chemical pesticides can have. The final chapters bring all the components of IPM together and show farmers how to put it all into action.
