IPM continue

• What is IPM?
• What is a 'Pest' and 'Beneficial'
• Why do we need it?
• When do we use it?
• Monitoring
• How do I implement IPM?
• Driving principles behind IPM
• IPM is NOT

Modern Agriculture faces a number of challenges. As any industry learns from its mistakes, agriculture also must grow and adapt to the ever changing socio-economic environment, while developing sustainable, environmental solutions that remains both practical, and economically viable.

Crop Tech endeavors to assist the management of a sustainable cropping system, using all available resources to achieve the softest possible approach for a positive impact on the surrounding environment.

The cost of an IPM system can usually be covered by the improved selection, rate, or timing of chemicals, a reduction in chemical application, or the value of increased yield and or quality.

What is IPM?

IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management.
IPM by definition is "The utilisation of all available resources to achieve the most sustainable, economical, practical, and effective solution to control a pest population."

What is a 'Pest' and 'Beneficial'

A pest is an insect, weed or disease that is causing damage, or loss to the production or appearance of a crop or plant.
A beneficial species is either a disease, predator, or parasite of the particular pest that can be balanced in a crop to help maintain a balance within the cropping system.

Another important point to remember is that pests population will increase faster than a beneficial population, so the balance is fragile. Also for a beneficial species to exist, the pest it depends upon must of course be present.

Why do we need it?

Older farming techniques relied on 'Schedule' or 'Calender' chemical sprays to control pests.  These were based on a particular growth stage of a crop, and historical data collected by the grower over time to determine when the sprays should be applied.

Broad Spectrum chemicals were used based on the theory "Kill everything bad with a single spray", unfortunately, these same applications destroy all benefical species and leave the crop vulnerable to further attack.

IPM adopts regular monitoring of a crop to establish the presence and population dynamics of both pest and beneficial fauna within a cropping system.  Data is analysed each week to watch fluctuations in the populations of the pests and beneficials to determine the exact moment a product should be applied to gain the maximum effect from the product, and where possible, conserve the beneficial population as much as possible to assist long term control.

When do we use it?

The whole time a crop is growing it can sustain varying levels of damage and remain economically viable.  Unnecessary or poorly timed chemical applications can change the dynamics of pest population during the life of a crop.

Understanding the critical periods of crop development and the behaviour of pests and beneficials, to make informed decisions about pest management, can make all the difference to the yield and quality of a crop.

Monitoring

Identifying pests and beneficial species in your crop and providing advice for their management and control is only part of the advantage of monitoring with Crop Tech.  Regular monitoring also offers reliable long term information for analysis.  Over time this information can be pieced together to view the progression of a pest or beneficial species, and the action that was taken can be analysed to determine its efficacy.  This 'Post season analysis' can be used in close association with the client, to modify your next season's approach.

How do I implement IPM

If you do not have access to skilled monitoring services:
Begin with an assessment of your own situation, what it is you grow, where you grow it, and known causes of poor yield and quality.  Consider soil type, water quality and environmental factors such as maximum and minimum temperatures during the year, rainfall, and wind direction.

Take into consideration (what is going to affect you) the impact of influences from outside your growing environment, such as neighboring farms, local residential development, surrounding bush land.

If necessary, research the pest species you would expect to find in your crop during the growing season, and the beneficials which are known to suppress the population for each pest.

Now go to your crop and look for yourself. Take sample jars with you so you can make a collection of everything you can't identify.  If you have a problem identifying the species you will need to seek expert help.  Correct identification is absolutely critical before any control measures are implemented.

Assessing the behaviour of these pests and beneficials can be important for locating them again, and for developing a method of counting and assessing them each time you look at your farm.

Monitoring should be regular once or twice a week in smallcrops, depending on the season and pest populations, and fortnightly in orchards.  Detailed record keeping is essential.

You will need to use this information to develop an 'action threshold'.  This is the point where you know that if a pest population gets any worse, it will damage the crop.  An 'Economic threshold' is the same but is the point where you must balance the cost of the spray against the loss of the crop.  When the damage is not expected to be as expensive as the cost of application, it is better to accept some crop loss.

DRIVING PRINCIPLES BEHIND IPM

• Increasing cost of chemical
• Insect resistance
• Urban Encroachment
• Consumer demand for softer approach
• Farm time management

IPM IS NOT

• Using no chemicals
• Annihilating all pests within a Crop
• An Organic approach
• Hydroponic production
• Eliminating spray applications

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