Integrated pest management in western Canadian boreal forests

1998 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-605
Author(s):  
W. Jan A. Volney ◽  
Kenneth I. Mallett

Insects and microorganisms perform a variety of functions in forest ecosystems. A minority of these organisms have been designated as pests. A fair understanding of the pests of mature boreal forests in west-central Canada has been developed. In many cases this has permitted the development of integrated pest management systems methodologies culminating, where appropriate, in the development of decision support systems. Research and development is currently underway to develop and improve such systems for managing pests of young stands. A general principle guiding the management of young stands suggests that emulating natural stand development will minimize losses due to pests. However, biological control techniques are being developed to enhance productivity where it is not feasible for management to emulate natural stand development. The philosophy employed in developing these methods is to rely on the conservation of the biota as they provide a reservoir from which to select organisms which may be useful in development of pest management procedures. Furthermore, the concern of the Canadian public regarding environmental degradation and the extremely low costs of successful biological control strategies, often involving emulating natural stand development to conserve beneficial organisms and obtain desirable stand densities and tree form, favour the development of these strategies to guarantee the sustainability of Canadian forests.

Author(s):  
J. R. Adams ◽  
G. J Tompkins ◽  
A. M. Heimpel ◽  
E. Dougherty

As part of a continual search for potential pathogens of insects for use in biological control or on an integrated pest management program, two bacilliform virus-like particles (VLP) of similar morphology have been found in the Mexican bean beetle Epilachna varivestis Mulsant and the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L. ).Tissues of diseased larvae and adults of E. varivestis and all developmental stages of A. domesticus were fixed according to procedures previously described. While the bean beetles displayed no external symptoms, the diseased crickets displayed a twitching and shaking of the metathoracic legs and a lowered rate of activity.Examinations of larvae and adult Mexican bean beetles collected in the field in 1976 and 1977 in Maryland and field collected specimens brought into the lab in the fall and reared through several generations revealed that specimens from each collection contained vesicles in the cytoplasm of the midgut filled with hundreds of these VLP's which were enveloped and measured approximately 16-25 nm x 55-110 nm, the shorter VLP's generally having the greater width (Fig. 1).


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 112-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abie Horrocks ◽  
Paul A. Horne ◽  
Melanie M. Davidson

An integrated pest management (IPM) strategy was compared with farmers’ conventional pest management practices on twelve spring- and autumn-sown seed and forage brassica crops. Demonstration trials were conducted in Canterbury from spring 2015 to autumn 2017 by splitting farmers’ paddocks in half and applying the two management approaches side by side. A farmer participatory approach was used, with management decisions based on monitoring pests and biological-control agents. Farmer and adviser training with a focus on monitoring and identification was carried out. Biological-control agents capable of contributing to pest control were identified in all brassica crops. There was a 35% reduction in the number of insecticides applied under IPM compared with conventional management, negligible crop yield differences, and the type of insecticides applied was different. IPM adoption at these farms was high by the end of the 3-year project with 11 of the 12 farmers implementing IPM across 90—100% of their brassica crops. This project was a starting point for an industry-wide change of practice to IPM, which has become more widespread since its completion.


Author(s):  
A. A. Oso ◽  
G. O. Awe

Aim: Information on the influence of water availability during different seasons of rainfed or irrigated agriculture as it relates to insect pest population build-up in crops could assist in the development of integrated pest management. A study was therefore conducted to investigate effects of spacing, pest infestation and control on cucumber under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Place and Duration of Study: At the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria during the 2016/2017 rainy and dry seasons. Methodology: The experiment was laid out using randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a split-plot arrangement in five replications, with spacing (60 x 60 cm, 60 x 90 cm and 60 x 120 cm) as the main plot treatments and the sub-plot treatments were different pest control strategies. The pest control strategies include synthetic insecticide (Lambda-cyhalothrin), botanical insecticide (Anogeissus leiocarpus) and control. Growth parameters and yield attributes were recorded. Insect pest occurrence, their build-up and percentage infestation on cucumber and the efficacy of the management strategies were monitored. Results: The results showed that yield was enhanced in irrigated system with the widest spacing of 60 x 120 cm botanical treatment interaction. Bemisia tabaci was the most prominent insect pest attacking cucumber under irrigated system. Conclusion: Other cultural control practices such as the use of trap crops with little or no financial implication should also be added to botanical pesticides as an integrated pest management tactic for effective management and control of the pest.


2018 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-273
Author(s):  
J. van Zoeren ◽  
C. Guédot ◽  
S.A. Steffan

AbstractBiological control plays an important role in many integrated pest management programmes, but can be disrupted by other control strategies, including chemical and cultural controls. In commercial cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton; Ericaceae) production, a spring flood can replace an insecticide application, providing an opportunity to study the compatibility of the flood (a cultural control) with biological control. We suspect that chemical controls will tend to reduce the number of natural enemies, while the flood, through removal of detritus and detritivores, may cause generalist predators to prey-switch to consume proportionally more pest individuals. We measured the abundance of herbivores (Lepidoptera), detritivores, Arachnida, and parasitoids (Hymenoptera) every week for six weeks in Wisconsin (United States of America) cranberry beds following either an insecticide spray or a cultural control flood. We found that detritivore populations rapidly declined in both flood and spray treatments; conversely, carnivore populations (spiders and parasitoids) were more abundant in the flooded beds than in sprayed beds. Populations of key cranberry pests were similar between flooded and sprayed beds. Our results showed that early-season flooding preserved more natural enemies than an insecticide application. This increase in natural enemy abundance after the flood may allow for greater continuity in herbivore suppression, potentially providing a basis for long-term cranberry pest management.


2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Horne ◽  
Jessica Page

Integrated Pest Management for Crops and Pastures 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, and demonstrates the advantages of IPM. Effective control of pests depends on a number of approaches, not just chemical or genetic engineering. The opening chapters cover the different approaches to pest management, and the importance of identification and monitoring of pests and beneficials. Most farmers and advisors can identify major pests but would struggle to recognise a range of beneficial species. Without this information it is impossible to make appropriate decisions on which control methods to use, especially where pests are resistant to insecticides. The book goes on to deal with the control methods: biological, cultural and chemical. The biological control agents discussed include both native and introduced species 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 chemicals can affect beneficial species, also detailing acute, sub-lethal and transient toxicities of pesticides, drawing on examples from horticulture where necessary. Finally, the authors bring all the components of integrated pest management together and show farmers how to put their IPM plan into action.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document