Eco‐efficiency as a strategy for optimizing the sustainability of pest management

Agricultural industrialization and the subsequent reliance on pesticides has resulted in numerous unintended consequences, such as impacts upon the environment and by extension human health. Eco‐efficiency is a strategy for sustainably increasing production, while simultaneously decreasing these externalities on ecological systems. Eco‐efficiency is defined as the ratio of production to environmental impacts. It has been widely adopted to improve chemical production, but we investigate the challenges of applying eco‐efficiency to pesticide use. Eco‐efficiency strategies include technological innovation, investment in research and development, improvement of business processes, and accounting for market forces. These components are often part of integrated pest management (IPM) systems that include alternatives to pesticides, but its implementation is often thwarted by commercial realities and technical challenges. We propose the creation and adoption of an eco‐efficiency index for pesticide use so that the broad benefits of eco‐efficient strategies such as IPM can be more readily quantified. We propose an index based upon the ratio of crop yield to a risk quotient (RQ) calculated from pesticide toxicity. Eco‐efficiency is an operational basis for optimizing pest management for sustainability. It naturally favors adoption of IPM and should be considered by regulators, researchers, and practitioners involved in pest management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Direct and indirect impacts of integrated pest management on pesticide use: a case of rice agriculture in Java, Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Integrated pest management (IPM) technology has been disseminated since 1989 in Indonesia to cut down pesticide use, but the adoption and diffusion of the technology are still debated. This study aims to estimate the models of demand for pesticides and to analyse the impact of IPM technology on pesticide use. Aggregate cross-section time series data from 1990-1998 are used.RESULTS: The results show that IPM technology reduces the use of pesticides by improving the process of rice production, such that pesticides are more efficiently used. In this case, the IPM technology is not a pest control technique.CONCLUSION There is an indication that IPM technology has been adopted by farmers. This is evidence that the IPM programme in Indonesia was successful in this area. Copyright (c) 2008 Society of Chemical Industry.     

农作物病虫害防治农药速查系统构建与应用

为了让农户能够直观了解及掌握常见病虫害的防治信息,帮助农户通过智能手机在农田、果园和茶园等现场方便快捷地获取作物病虫害图文识别要点与科学防治方法,为农户提供在线植保技术服务,本研究采用RESTful Web 服务架构设计,运用HTML5移动Web开发技术,借助微信平台作为用户访问入口,开发了一款跨平台 (android/iOS) 的农药速查软件系统,实现了农药信息查询、病虫害图谱查询及后台数据管理等功能。通过建立农药与病虫害间的关联关系,实现了从农药名称和病虫害名称两个途径查询农药信息;所构建的数据库涵盖了蔬菜、果树、水稻、茶叶及烟草等共30种福建省常规种植作物上的重要病虫害农药防治技术。初步运用验证结果表明,该系统整体实用性和稳定性较好,适合在农村基层推广应用。基于微信平台的农药速查系统能够满足植保新技术普及和应用的需求,可为农户提供简单便捷、对症下药的在线植保科技服务,对提高用户安全施药和科学防控能力、推进农药的增效减量均具有重要意义。     

IPM in developing countries: the danger of an ideal

This paper examines the evolution of integrated pest management (IPM) into the dominant paradigm in crop protection. The driving forces behind the development and adoption of IPM are explored and the conditions under which successful IPM has been practised are outlined. Repeated calls for the adoption of IPM in international agricultural research, extension and resource-poor farming are questioned in respect of claims made by IPM proponents. When examined, it becomes apparent that IPM per se is not a panacea for solving the problems faced by resource-poor farmers. Further investigation into the social, political, economic and ecological parameters associated with the development and implementation of IPM shows that is can work under certain conditions. However, the situation of most resource-poor farmers does not match the necessary criteria for the implemetation of IPM programmes. Viewed thus, it could be argued that IPM is more a vehicle for the continued transfer of technologies developed in response to the pressures exerted by argibusiness rather than a truly farmer first approach to solving the contraints facing the lives of resource-poor farmers in developing countries     

There has never been a better time or a greater need for resistance management

Integrated pest management (IPM) and sustainable agriculture benefit from selective and environmentally benign crop-protection products. The performance of these products, however, is threatened by resistance. If it is to be prevented from standing in the path of progress, resistance must be managed. As agricultural practices move towards IPM and sustainable crop protection, selection pressure will be concentrated on products which are compatible with these systems. Producers, researchers, government and extension workers cannot solve these complex problems alone. The key to success is collaboration. The Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) was set up by the crop-protection industry in 1984 to promote and co-ordinate its contribution to resistance management. Today, it is collaborating with research institutes, government organisations and extension services to combat resistance. IRAC focuses on research and communication projects which reduce selection pressure, organising workshops in ‘resistance hot spots’ and providing input to draft legislation. Selected examples of IRAC's collaborative work are described. ©1997 SCI     

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.     

Integrated management of insect pests,diseases and weeds of cotton in Africa

Integrated pest management systems were developed originally in response to the appearance of insect populations with resistance to common insecticides. Cotton with its heavy dependence on insecticidal sprays was one of the first crops in which the effectiveness of control declined due to resistance in the target pests. Although insecticide resistance is more of a problem in large scale production systems, the IPM approach can also benefit the smallholder by reducing the number of sprays required with consequent cost savings. Where crop growth is adversely affected by diseases, competition from weeds or poor management, the full benefit of insecticide spray programmes cannot be realised. To be fully effective, insect control should therefore be integrated with other crop protection activities. This paper reviews the insect pests, diseases and weed problems of cotton in Africa and discusses the possibilities for extending the principles of IPM to cover all the crop protection activities with practical examples drawn from both small scale and larger scale production systems.     

IPM: Overcoming Conflicts in Adoption

The diversity of competing interests in North America provides a remarkable series of divergent messages to growers. Depending on what crop they produce or how they farm, they may be heroes or villains, loyal or unpatriotic, or stewards or ravagers of the environment. Even relatively minor changes in farming practices can result in significant public or political response. Considering that growers may risk 100% of their crop yield on a potential savings of 10% (or less) for investment in pesticides, it is not surprising that growers are slow to adopt IPM programs. Well-intentioned appeals to eliminate pesticides, or save the environment at all costs, are usually not effective. Likewise, a high failure rate can be expected from attempts to legislate IPM, implement programs that focus on only part of a pest complex, or adoption strategies that do not include on-farm testing and extensive educational efforts. However, some strategies have proven effective. Growers who have experienced loss of pesticides due to resistance are receptive to management programs which avoid or delay resistance. Many programs have been adopted piecemeal, starting with sampling programs followed by treatment thresholds and modified pesticide use. One of the most successful approaches has been an economic comparison of grower standard and IPM programs using partial budgets. Increased net profits provide powerful incentives for program adoption.     

以农药减量控害助力农业绿色发展

本文从历史、农民和市场等三个维度分析了我国农药过量使用产生的原因,指出农药减量控害的必要性和重要意义,分析了农药减量控害的可行性,提出了"底线思维、系统思维、创新思维"工作思路以及通过替代化学防控、调整优化农药产品结构、集成绿色防控技术、转变防控方式、构建农产品优质优价机制等路径实施农药减量控害的建议。     

The Red Queen in a potato field: integrated pest management versus chemical dependency in Colorado potato beetle control

Originally designed to reconcile insecticide applications with biological control, the concept of integrated pest management (IPM) developed into the systems‐based judicious and coordinated use of multiple control techniques aimed at reducing pest damage to economically tolerable levels. Chemical control, with scheduled treatments, was the starting point for most management systems in the 1950s. Although chemical control is philosophically compatible with IPM practices as a whole, reduction in pesticide use has been historically one of the main goals of IPM practitioners. In the absence of IPM, excessive reliance on pesticides has led to repeated control failures due to the evolution of resistance by pest populations. This creates the need for constant replacement of failed chemicals with new compounds, known as the ‘insecticide treadmill’. In evolutionary biology, a similar phenomenon is known as the Red Queen principle – continuing change is needed for a population to persevere because its competitors undergo constant evolutionary adaptation. The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is an insect defoliator of potatoes that is notorious for its ability to develop insecticide resistance. In the present article, a review is given of four case studies from across the United States to demonstrate the importance of using IPM for sustainable management of a highly adaptable insect pest. Excessive reliance on often indiscriminate insecticide applications and inadequate use of alternative control methods, such as crop rotation, appear to expedite evolution of insecticide resistance in its populations. Resistance to IPM would involve synchronized adaptations to multiple unfavorable factors, requiring statistically unlikely genetic changes. Therefore, integrating different techniques is likely to reduce the need for constant replacement of failed chemicals with new ones. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

A call for stakeholders to boost integrated pest management in Europe: a vision based on the three-year European research area network project

Recent years have seen an increasing effort towards the development and adoption of sustainable crop protection strategies, especially in the EU. Several policy frameworks have been put in place including the EU framework Directive (128/EC/2009) on the sustainable use of pesticides. Consequently, all EU Member States developed National Action Plans to ensure the implementation of the general principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by all professional pesticide users starting from January 1, 2014. On the other hand, there are also difficulties related to the adoption of IPM in Europe and worldwide which seek for a better understanding of factors hindering IPM uptake. This paper presents the potential role that each actor of the food chain may have – called here stakeholders – to ensure a higher level IPM adoption in Europe. The information reported here is a summary based on several discussions held within a three-year European Research Area Network project on Coordinated Integrated Pest Management (ERA-Net C-IPM; http://c-ipm.org/).     

中国农业害虫综合防治研究进展:2018年－2022年

近5年来, 我国在害虫变态发育与生殖调控、害虫滞育调控、害虫迁飞、害虫与共生微生物互作、害虫对杀虫剂的抗性、害虫与寄主植物的化学通讯、害虫对植物抗虫性的适应、害虫对作物种植结构调整的响应、害虫对全球气候变化的响应等农业害虫发生新规律新机制解析方面取得了系列重要进展, 同时推进了抗虫作物、RNA农药、行为调控和生态调控等害虫防控新技术与新产品的研发; 提出迁飞性草地贪夜蛾分区治理、多食性盲蝽区域防控、地下害虫韭蛆绿色防控和抗性麦蚜精准化学防控等害虫绿色防控新模式新体系。根据国内外农业害虫综合防治科技发展趋势和中国农业高质量发展现实需求, 我国需进一步重视农业昆虫交叉学科前沿和新兴技术领域, 以产业需求为导向, 强化害虫防控基础理论创新, 创制智能监测预警和绿色防控新技术、新产品, 创新集成区域绿色防控和跨区协同治理技术体系, 为保障国家粮食安全、助力乡村全面振兴提供强有力的植保科技支撑。     

Financial benefit of using crop protection decision rules over systematic spraying strategies

ABSTRACT Decision rule models are considered to be one of the main cornerstones of the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) programs. Even if the need for such programs to offer cost advantages over conventional strategies is a major incentive for IPM adoption, few studies focus on this financial dimension. In this article, a modeling approach of the response of a pathosystem to a disease control method and of the predictive performance of decision rules is used to explore how some basic factors act on the likelihood of adoption of decision rule models strategies (such as using an IPM system) over systematic strategies (such as systematic-spraying and never-spraying strategies). Even if the average cost of using the decision rule strategies is always lower than the average cost of systematic strategies in several different scenarios, the models developed here showed strong effects of different pathosystems and decision rules on financial benefits. The number of production situations where decision rules are of interest is highly correlated with their accuracy. However, because of the inescapable trade-offs between decision rule accuracy and limiting factors such as its user-friendly characteristics, the use of decision rules is unlikely to reduce costs to <70% of the costs of systemic strategies. In more general terms, this study provides quantitative guidelines on the financial advantage that decision rules can offer in plant protection as well as a better understanding of their potential usefulness.     

Applying weather index insurance to agricultural pest and disease risks

In this paper, we explore the application of weather index insurance to plant pest and disease management strategies using two distinct models: (1) insuring crop loss due to disease incidence (“Crop Insurance”) and (2) insuring the use of pesticides (“Pesticide Insurance”). We find that despite the seeming ease of applying weather-based pest incidence models to an insurance product, insuring plant disease incidence models is presently unsuitable for the insurance market for both scientific and behavioral reasons. However, derivative-like applications of weather index insurance to insure pesticide use offer a means to introduce financial leverage into pesticide usage decisions. Risk management with weather index insurance would thus function as a complement to existing risk management strategies using pesticides, and offer a market-based mechanism for pesticide abatement. We conclude that more interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to develop weather index insurance for remuneration of losses due to plant pests and diseases, but weather index insurance offers a potential mechanism to reduce inefficiencies and negative externalities in agricultural markets if pesticide expenditures are insured instead of crop losses.     

Nonchemical management of soilborne pests in fresh market vegetable production systems

ABSTRACT Nonchemical methods including host resistance, organic amendments, crop rotation, soil solarization, and cultural practices have been used to control soilborne pests in fresh market vegetable production systems. Their suitability as alternatives to methyl bromide will depend on the approach to pest management used by the grower. Traditionally, methyl bromide is used in production systems that rely on the single application of a broad-spectrum biocide to disinfest soils prior to planting. Non-chemical methods are not suitable for a single tactic approach to pest management because they do not provide the same broad spectrum of activity or consistency as fumigation with methyl bromide. Nonchemical methods are compatible with an integrated pest management (IPM) approach, where multiple tactics are used to maintain damage from pests below an economic threshold while minimizing the impact to beneficial organisms. However, adoption of IPM is hindered by the paucity of economically feasible sampling programs and thresholds for soilborne pests and by a reluctance of growers to commit additional resources to the collection and management of biological information. A novel approach to the management of soilborne pests is to design the crop production system to avoid pest outbreaks. Using this "proactive" approach, a tomato production system was developed using strip-tillage into existing bahia-grass pasture. By minimizing inputs and disruption to the pasture, growers were able to reap the rotational benefits of bahiagrass without cultivating the rotational crop. While minimizing the need for interventive procedures, a proactive approach is difficult to integrate into existing crop production systems and will require several years of testing and validation.     

Review: Resistance as a concomitant of modern crop protection

This paper reviews the impact of resistance to fungicides and insecticides/acaricides on the way crop protection is practised. It is now clear that resistance can develop to virtually any crop-protection product, in any pest, fungal pathogen or even weed. As a limiting factor in crop protection, it is a fact of life. A positive side-effect is the precision with which products are used today, with increasing implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes. This is a vital step towards sustainability. This paper describes: past experiences; current status of resistance; how resistance management influences current crop protection practices; regulatory aspects; and the outlook for the future. It concludes that EU regulations on resistance management must be simple and workable. Chemicals will continue to have a central role in optimising yields from the world's crops, as new tools, including biotechnology, become available for crop protection and resistance management. The crop-protection industry's innovations and product stewardship programmes will contribute to sustainable agriculture. This will provide continued benefits to users, the environment and society. ©1997 SCI     

Identifying obstacles and ranking common biological control research priorities for Europe to manage most economically important pests in arable,vegetable and perennial crops

EU agriculture is currently in transition from conventional crop protection to integrated pest management (IPM). Because biocontrol is a key component of IPM, many European countries recently have intensified their national efforts on biocontrol research and innovation (R&I), although such initiatives are often fragmented. The operational outputs of national efforts would benefit from closer collaboration among stakeholders via transnationally coordinated approaches, as most economically important pests are similar across Europe. This paper proposes a common European framework on biocontrol R&I. It identifies generic R&I bottlenecks and needs as well as priorities for three crop types (arable, vegetable and perennial crops). The existing gap between the market offers of biocontrol solutions and the demand of growers, the lengthy and expensive registration process for biocontrol solutions and their varying effectiveness due to variable climatic conditions and site‐specific factors across Europe are key obstacles hindering the development and adoption of biocontrol solutions in Europe. Considering arable, vegetable and perennial crops, a dozen common target pests are identified for each type of crop and ranked by order of importance at European level. Such a ranked list indicates numerous topics on which future joint transnational efforts would be justified. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

European Union policy on pesticides: implications for agriculture in Ireland

European Community (EC) legislation has limited the availability of pesticide active substances used in effective plant protection products. The Pesticide Authorisation Directive 91/414/EEC introduced the principle of risk assessment for approval of pesticide active substances. This principle was modified by the introduction of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009, which applies hazard, the intrinsic toxicity of the active substance, rather than risk, the potential for hazard to occur, as the approval criterion. Potential impacts of EC pesticide legislation on agriculture in Ireland are summarised. While these will significantly impact on pesticide availability in the medium to long term, regulations associated with water quality (Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and Drinking Water Directive 1998/83/EC) have the potential to restrict pesticide use more immediately, as concerns regarding public health and economic costs associated with removing pesticides from water increase. This rationale will further reduce the availability of effective pesticide active substances, directly affecting crop protection and increasing pesticide resistance within pest and disease populations. In addition, water quality requirements may also impact on important active substances used in plant protection in Ireland. The future challenge for agriculture in Ireland is to sustain production and profitability using reduced pesticide inputs within a framework of integrated pest management. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

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.     

水稻病虫害综合防治五大关系的理性分析

本文论述“预防为主，综合防治”植保方针的理论和实践意义，结合我国水稻病虫害综合防治２０ａ的研究进展，提出综合防治的体系特征及其五大关系：（１）有害生物的种质分化与种型演变；（２）防治体系与预警系统；（３）为害损失与防治指标；（４）多抗性品种的开拓与推广；（５）多效药剂的研究开发与应用。进而探讨ＩＰＭ与可持续性植物保护的相互关系