Adoption of Integrated Pest Management by apple growers: the role of context

The adoption of pest and disease management practices has been the subject of numerous studies. Unfortunately, there is little consistency in their findings with regard to the variables that influence growers' decisions to adopt these techniques. In this study we focus on context as a means of explaining the lack of consistency. We used the results of in-depth interviews and a mail survey to explore context as a predictor of Australian apple growers' behaviour with respect to the management of codling moth and pest mites. We found that climate, topography, spatial separation between orchards and the crop mix determined the type and intensity of pest and disease pressures experienced by growers. Given the types and intensities of pest and disease pressures present, the management practices growers used depended on the range and effectiveness of the control options that were available to them. We concluded that variables representing specific aspects of orchard context were the primary determinants of the particular combinations of pest and disease management practices used by apple growers, not variables representing demographic and general enterprise characteristics that have been proposed in past studies.     

拓宽生物防治 持续治理虫害

本文针对我国生物防治资源极其丰富和农民经济实力薄弱的特点，结合我国生物防治成果，论述了应如何发展和拓宽具有我国特色的害虫生物防治，进一步提高综合防治水平，促进农业可持续发展。     

Integrated pest management of coffee for small-scale farmers in East Africa: needs and limitations

Coffee in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) is an important cash and export crop for small-scale farmers. The crop suffers heavy yield losses due to damage caused by a wide range of indigenous pests (insects, diseases, nematodes and weeds). Current recommended pest control measures include a combination of cultural, resistant/tolerant cultivars and the use of broad spectrum chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticides are far more popular at the farm level than any of the other recommended pest control measures. Coffee pest control strategies are often aimed at individual pests with little consideration of the implications for the total coffee pest complex and its agro-ecosystem. This unilateral approach has resulted in increased pest pressure on coffee and some of its companion crops, outbreak of new pests of coffee, development of pest strains resistant to the cheap and commonly available chemical pesticides, increased environmental problems, increased health risks to man and livestock and an overall increase in the costs of coffee production, thus forcing many farmers to neglect their coffee plantations. Measures to alleviate the above problems, particularly the high production costs, are needed to improve coffee production and increase the cash return to the small-scale farmer. Integrated pest management (IPM) offers the best prospects for solving the above problems. However, lack of national IPM policies, poor extension systems, inefficient research-extension-farmer linkage and the lack of a holistic approach will delay the development and implementation of appropriate, acceptable and sustainable IPM practices.     

Poultry Integrated Pest Management: Status and Future

Modern commercial poultry production under large companies is expanding worldwide with similar methods and housing, and the accompanying arthropod and rodent pest problems. The pests increase the cost of production and are factors in the spread of avian diseases. The biology, behavior and control of ectoparasites and premise pests are described in relation to the different housing and production practices for broiler breeders, turkey breeders, growout (broilers and turkeys), caged-layers, and pullets. Ectoparasites include Ornithonyssus fowl mites, Dermanyssus chicken mites, lice, bedbugs, fleas, and argasid fowl ticks. Premise pests include Alphitobius darkling beetles, Dermestes hide beetles, the house fly and several related filth fly species, calliphorid blow flies, moths, cockroaches, and rodents. Populations of these pests are largely determined by the housing, waste, and flock management practices. An integrated pest management (IPM) approach, tailored to the different production systems, is required for satisfactory poultry pest control. Biosecurity, preventing the introduction of pests and diseases into a facility, is critical. Poultry IPM, based on pest identification, pest population monitoring, and methods of cultural, biological, and chemical control, is elucidated. The structure of the sophisticated, highly integrated poultry industry provides a situation conducive to refinement and wider implementation of IPM.     

Management of Stored Wheat Insect Pests in the USA

Management of stored-grain insect pests by farmers or elevator managers should be based upon a knowledge of the grain storage environment and the ecology of insect pests. Grain storage facilities and practices, geographical location, government policies, and marketing demands for grain quality are discussed as factors influencing stored-grain insect pest management decisions in the United States. Typical practices include a small number of grain samples designed to provide grain quality information for segregation, blending and marketing. This low sampling rate results in subjective evaluation and inconsistent penalties for insect-related quality factors. Information on the efficacy of insect pest management practices in the United States, mainly for farm-stored wheat, is discussed, and stored-grain integrated pest management (IPM) is compared to field-crop IPM. The transition from traditional stored-grain insect pest control to IPM will require greater emphasis on sampling to estimate insect densities, the development of sound economic thresholds and decision-making strategies, more selective use of pesticides, and greater use of nonchemical methods such as aeration. New developments in insect monitoring, predictive computer models, grain cooling by aeration, biological control, and fumigation are reviewed, their potential for improving insect pest management is discussed, and future research needs are examined.     

Impacts of transgenic Bt cotton and integrated pest management education on smallholder cotton farmers

Abstract

Comparative field research on transgenic Bt cotton and conventional cotton under different conditions (fields without pesticide inputs, fields managed by farmers with IPM education, fields managed by farmers lacking IPM education) were carried out in Hubei province of China in 2002. The amount of pesticide used on Bt cotton by non-IPM farmers was found to be around three times that used by IPM farmers. IPM farmers made significantly higher net profits from cultivating transgenic Bt cotton in comparison with non-IPM farmers. Other pest management practices had more significant influences on the population dynamics of predatory natural enemies and major insect pests than did the adoption of transgenic Bt cotton in the cotton ecosystem. Our study showed that IPM education, by increasing farmer capacity to critically evaluate inputs and their effects, monitor their fields and make informed decisions on pest management, enabled farmers to reduce pesticide use significantly, so resulting in improved production and profit margin. IPM farmer education thus, contributed to maximising the value of planting transgenic Bt cotton.     

云南小规模农户蔬菜种植习惯和病虫防治行为研究

采用农民参与式调查方法,2003-2004年抽样调查了云南省昆明、大理、玉溪、楚雄、曲靖和丽江6市360户小规模蔬菜种植农户,系统调查了农户的蔬菜种植习惯、病虫知识、病虫防治态度和行为。调查结果表明:农民种植蔬菜具有多样性特征,360户在2004年种植了多达23种蔬菜。农民普遍缺乏蔬菜病虫生态知识,虽然具有一定的识别害虫能力,但是大多数农民不能区别害螨和病害的危害,不能识别大多数重要天敌,主要根据农药零售商的建议进行病虫防治,导致普遍过度依赖化学农药进行病虫防治。     

稻农多维病虫害防治技术研究

田间条件下总是要对付多种有害生物。农业生态系统分析方法考虑有害生物天敌、环境及水稻等相互关联因素作为农民决策依据。按照经验推理法则，由一组农民按培训后的办法田间１ｍｉｎ以内取样判断，对多种病虫防冶决策，经比较测试，有可能取代按防治指标取样并更符合农民实践需要。     

害虫种群区域性生态调控的系统策略

害虫种群的区域性分布特征和生态调控已经成为近十年来综合治理研究的热点问题。经过几十年的发展,害虫生态调控的防控技术表现了可持续和绿色等特征,但从田块到区域尺度的生态调控系统策略还不完善,很多仍需依赖传统的化学防治为辅助。面对农业害虫区域性灾变的重大农业生态学问题,本文总结了害虫种群的区域性分布特征,包括区域性、异质性、扩散性、突发性、协同性五大特征;重点阐述了害虫种群区域性生态调控的系统策略,形成了预防性管理、靶向式调控、成灾后治理三位一体的害虫“防控治”生态调控体系,协调多种生态调控技术在区域水平内“防控治”才能有效遏制害虫种群的持续暴发;对害虫种群的区域性管理进行了展望,未来害虫种群的区域性生态调控不仅要考虑经济指标,还需要具备安全、高效、精准、可持续四大核心特点。因此,害虫种群的区域化生态调控是未来保障农业生产和生态安全的必然选择。     

Determinants of farmers’ decisions on pesticide use in oriental tobacco: a survey of common practices

Information about pesticide use and perceptions of their risks among farmers is important for identifying problems associated with pest-control decisions and developing appropriate management practices in given crops. In tobacco, a plant sensitive to many pests and diseases, such information is lacking. The patterns of pesticide use in oriental tobacco, as well as the most important factors for farmers’ decisions relating to chemical pest control were studied among randomly selected farmers in northern Greece on the basis of self-reported information acquired through a pre-tested questionnaire. High reliance of farmers on pesticides and field use of all well-known classes of chemical pesticides were reported. While all the active ingredients reported were registered for pest control in tobacco, they differed considerably in terms of toxicity. A normal cropping season received at least 14–16 pesticide applications for soil disinfection, pest control, and weed control. Most farmers stated that they usually spray chemicals on a calendar basis or on the first appearance of a pest. Efficacy on target pests and market price of the pesticide products to be used were the most important criteria for selection of pesticides, i.e. products that are considered to be highly effective and/or that are cheap are more likely to be selected. Better-educated and more experienced farmers were found to pay more attention to environmental safety and pesticide toxicity. Most farmers felt that pesticide use can reduce crop damage by more than 75%, assuring high yields. Main determinants of pesticide use were primarily the fear of severe yield and economic losses and the doubts about the effectiveness and the correct implementation of alternative pest-control methods. Pesticide use could be reduced by exposing farmers to improved pest-control practices such as site-specific integrated pest management.     

Development of preliminary economic thresholds for an integrated pest management system for soybeans in Java

Abstract

Two field trials were conducted for the purposes of comparing various soybean pest management schemes and setting preliminary economic thresholds that could be used by farmers as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) programme. Both trials tested the same four treatments: (1) a pest management scheme that followed the type of plan that many farmers in Java use, (2) and (3) two schemes utilizing different economic thresholds set by researchers, and (4) an untreated control. The pest management schemes are compared regarding various aspects, including yield and profitability. In both trials the plans did not differ significantly in profitability; however, in each trial the same threshold scheme had the highest mean values for both yield and profitability. Therefore, a pest control system based on this threshold scheme is recommended, with some refinements in certain threshold levels for specific pest guilds where the trials show refinements to be appropriate. It is advised that farmers use the threshold levels recommended here as starting points, and then make adjustments according to the soybean variety used, abundance of natural enemies present, economic factors, etc.     

Farmers' knowledge,perceptions, and management practices of the new invasive pest,fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Ethiopia and Kenya

This paper reports for the first time on farmers’ knowledge, perceptions and management practices of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Ethiopia and Kenya. A survey of 343 smallholder maize farmers was conducted. Most farmers in Ethiopia and Kenya had knowledge about fall armyworm; they could identify it mainly during its larval stage. Furthermore, most farmers in Ethiopia (93%) and Kenya (97%) encountered damage by fall armyworm in their farms. They estimated an average of 32% crop damage in Ethiopia and 47.3% of crop damage in Kenya, with an estimated yield reduction between 0.8 to 1 tonnes/ha. Nearly half of the farmers relied on chemical insecticides to control this pest. The majority (60%) of the farmers in Kenya perceived that insecticides were not effective in controlling fall armyworm as compared to most farmers (46%) in Ethiopia who perceived that chemical spray is effective for the control of fall armyworm. In Ethiopia, 26% of the farmers combined handpicking larvae with insecticide sprays, whilst 15% of the farmers practiced only handpicking. The present study highlights the need to develop management strategies for fall armyworm based on farmers’ needs and priorities.     

Effects of harvesting and stubble management on abundance of pest rodents (Mus musculus) in a conservation agriculture system

BACKGROUND

The shift to more environmentally sensitive agricultural practices over the last several decades has changed farmland landscapes worldwide. Changes including no-till and retaining high biomass mulch has been coincident with an increase in rodent pests in South Africa, India, South America and Europe, indicating a possible conflict between conservation agriculture (CA) and rodent pest management. Research on effects of various crop management practices associated with CA on pest rodent population dynamics is needed to anticipate and develop CA-relevant management strategies.

RESULTS

During the Australian 2020–2021 mouse plague, farmers used postharvest stubble management practices, including flattening and/or cutting, to reduce stubble cover in paddocks to lessen habitat suitability for pest house mice. We used this opportunity to assess the effects of both harvest and stubble management on the movement and abundance of mice in paddocks using mouse trapping and radio tracking. We found that most tracked mice remained resident in paddocks throughout harvest, and that mouse population abundance was generally unaffected by stubble management.

CONCLUSION

Recent conversions to CA practices have changed how pest house mice use cropped land. Management practices that reduce postharvest habitat complexity do not appear to reduce the attractiveness of paddocks to mice, and further research into new management strategies in addition to toxic bait use is required as part of an integrated pest management approach. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Pest control for cotton production: Present practice and trends for the future

Cotton—the world's major fibre crop—is perhaps unique in the broad nature of the insect attack to which it is subjected, and the control of cotton insect pests remains an unabated challenge. In attempting a worldwide review of pest control practices in cotton production it is the diversity of all aspects of the problem which is immediately apparent. A variety of pest control solutions has evolved. This paper attempts to generalise the types of solution and at the same time point out how regional differences and the degree of capitalisation and management control have influenced the chosen approach.     

Responding to Economic Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa: New Farmer-Developed Pest Management Strategies in Cocoa-Based Plantations in Southern Cameroon

Cocoa is a key or source of income and poverty reduction in the humid forest of Southern Cameroon. Cameroon like other African countries went through a major economic crisis in the early 1980s with a decline in international commodity prices and significant changes in macroeconomic policies. Structural adjustment reforms following the economic crisis led to removal of fertilizers and pesticides subsidies, cocoa price liberalization and the overall withdraw of Government interventions from the cocoa sub-sector. Cocoa input price increases have been compounded by the devaluation of the CFA Franc, which doubled the prices of the imported pesticides which were considered key to the control of cocoa pests. This overall economic shock led to changes in cocoa producer's production decisions as a response to minimize cost. Among the changes the use of alternatives to imported chemicals for cocoa pest control. Farmers responded to the high prices of pesticides by developing, from local botanical knowledge and pest management strategies, which include plant extracts and plant extracts mixed with pesticides at different proportions. This is a major decision given the importance of imported chemical in the cost of production of cocoa. Valuable indigenous knowledge from farmers could be used also as an effective support system for communicating and diffusing modern knowledge and technologies to farmers. The paper describes the farmer knowledge-based alternatives to chemical pesticides for pest control in cocoa fields as a response to high pest control costs. Pest management specialists are urged to take advantage of this shift in practice and assess their effectiveness for further use. Two sets of questions are posed: (1) were the conventional insecticides, with all their problems, really necessary? and (2) are the materials derived from locally grown plants effective pest management agents or are they, in some way, placebos?     

Influence of pesticide information sources on citrus farmers' knowledge,perception and practices in pest management,Mekong Delta,Vietnam

In 1998-99, about 150 citrus farmers and 120 pesticide sellers were interviewed in Can Tho and Dong Thap province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Media, pesticide sellers and extension staff had different influences on farmers' pest perception and management practices depending on the region and intensity of the cropping system. Pesticide sellers were notified by about 95% of the farmers about their major pest problems, and the type of pesticides sold in their shop was primarily based on farmers' demand (87%) and then on company promotion (56%). Those farmers relying on pesticide sellers used more of the banned insecticide methyl parathion. Probably for fear of being accused of illegal practices, none of the pesticide sellers mentioned that they recommended this product or that farmers asked for it. In the intensive Tieu mandarin cropping system, media and extension activities increased farmers' knowledge of difficult-to-observe pests such as the citrus red mite Panonychus citri and thrips, Thrips sp. and Scirtothrips sp. Since extension was weak in sweet orange, those farmers exposed to media only reported the damage symptom of mites, not knowing the causal agent. Media alone seemingly did not suffice to acquaint farmers with these small organisms. Farmers getting advice from the media advertisements applied more different pesticide products and sprayed insecticides more frequently, whereas the extension has stimulated the use of acaricides and increased the number of both insecticide and fungicide sprays. The traditional practice of biological control with the ant Oecophylla smaragdina might be endangered with growing media influence and when extension activities remain confined to chemical pest control. Constraints and potentials of different information sources are discussed in relation to developing IPM programmes for citrus.     

Current United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on understanding agrochemical fate and transport to prevent and mitigate adverse environmental impacts

Environmentally and economically viable agriculture requires a variety of cultivation practices and pest management options as no one system will be appropriate for every situation. Agrochemicals are some of the many pest control tools used in an integrated approach to pest management. They are applied with the intent of maximizing efficacy while minimizing off-site movement; however, their judicious use demands a practical knowledge of their fate and effects in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Agrochemical distribution into environmental compartments is influenced by the physical and chemical properties of the agrochemical and environmental conditions, ie soil type and structure, and meteorological conditions. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers working in the area of agrochemical fate have focused on accurately describing those processes that govern the transport, degradation and bioavailability of these chemicals under conditions reflecting actual agronomic practices. Results from ARS research concerning the environmental fate and effects of agrochemicals have led to the development of science-based management practices that will protect vulnerable areas of the ecosystem. The new challenge is to identify these vulnerable areas and the temporal and spatial variations prior to use of the chemical by predicting how it will behave in environmental matrices, and using that information, predict its transport and transformation within an air- or watershed. With the development of better predictive tools and GIS (Geographic Information System)-based modeling, the risks of agricultural management systems can be assessed at the watershed and basin levels, and management strategies can be identified that minimize negative environmental impacts.     

1977 British Crop Protection Conference —Pests and Diseases,Brighton, November 1977

Abstract

The golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck, 1822) (Mesogastropoda: Pilidae), has recently been introduced to several Asian countries where it has unexpectedly developed into a pest of rice. Reasons for the introduction as well as the economic and ecological impact of the snail are described. Most farmers have resorted to chemical control, with implications for human health and the environment. Integrated snail management practices are summarized including the use of the snail as a valuable aquatic resource. It is concluded that research on control strategies is urgently needed but requires sound knowledge of the ecology of the snail in its natural habitat.     

对农业害虫防治策略与技术的展望

基于生态学的有害生物治理（ＥＢＰＭ）或生态管理被认为是新世纪农业有害生物防治的新对策。以经济学和生态学原则为基础的,应用系统工程的原理和方法设计的生态调控方法将越来越受到人们的重视;植保信息技术的应用,将大大提高害虫监测,预报和管理决策的水平;昆虫基因工程技术的开发,将开辟新的害虫防治途径。     

Farmers' knowledge,attitudes and practices of rice crop and pest management at Ifugao Rice Terraces,Philippines

A survey of 150 rice farmers in three municipalities of the Ifugao Rice Terraces, Philippines, carried out in June 1998, aimed to assess the farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of rice crop and pest management. The survey revealed that: 54% of the farmers fall within a narrow age range (31-50 years), the majority having 11-30 years of rice farming experience; they are of average literacy; and they have large households. Non-farm activity such as woodcarving was the most common source of additional income. The majority of farmers planted a single crop of rice per year and followed traditional cultivation practices. Major rice crop production constraints were drought due to the El Nino phenomenon and insufficient irrigation infrastructure. Zinc deficiency was widespread. Major, non-insect pests known to farmers were earthworms, rats, golden apple snails, and house sparrows. These pests damage either the rice plant or the terrace wall. Earthworm damage to the terrace wall is most obvious. Farmers had very little exposure to integrated pest management and new rice technologies.