less risky pest controls are chosen first,
including highly targeted chemicals,
such as pheromones to disrupt pest
mating, or mechanical control, such as
trapping or weeding. If further monitoring,
identifications and action thresholds
indicate that less risky controls are not
working, then additional pest control
methods would be employed, such as
targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast
spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last
resort.
Do most growers use IPM?
With these steps, IPM is best described as a
continuum. Many, if not most, agricultural
growers identify their pests before spraying.
A smaller subset of growers uses less risky
pesticides such as pheromones. All these
growers are on the IPM continuum. The goal is
to move growers further along the continuum
to using all appropriate IPM techniques.
How do you know if the food you buy is
grown using IPM?
In most cases, food grown using
IPM practices is not identified in the
marketplace like organic food. There is no
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
national certification for growers using IPM, as
the United States Department of Agriculture
has developed for organic foods. Since IPM is
a complex pest control process, not merely a
series of practices, it is impossible to use one
IPM definition for all foods and all areas of the
country. Many individual commodity growers,
for such crop as potatoes and strawberries,
are working to define what IPM means for
their crop and region, and IPM-labelled foods
are available in limited areas. With definitions,
growers could begin to market more of their
products as IPM-Grown, giving consumers
another choice in their food purchases.
If I grow my own fruits and vegetables, can
I practice IPM in my garden?
Yes, the same principles used by large
farms can be applied to your own garden by
following the four-tiered approach outlined
above. For more specific information on
practicing IPM in your garden, you can contact
your state Extension Services for the services
of a Master Gardener.
Acknowledgement & further reading:
https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/
integrated-pest-management-ipm-principles
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