5.14

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM):

  • Using a variety of pest control methods that minimize environmental disruption and pesticides use
• Biocontrol:

  • introducing a natural predator, parasite, or competitor to control the pest population
  • Can include actually purchasing and spreading the control organisms in a field or constructing habitats to attract them naturally
  • Ladybugs for aphids, spiders for many pests, parasitic wasps for caterpillars
• Crop rotation:

  • Many pests prefer one specific crop or crop family. They lay eggs in the soil, so when larvae hatch they have a preferred food
  • Rotating crops can prevent pests from becoming established since it disrupts their preferred food choice
  • Also disrupts weed growth since different crops can be planted at different times, prevents bare soil from being taken over by weeds.
• Intercropping:

  • push-pull system:
  • Pull plants emit chemicals that attract pests to lay eggs on them instead of on the crops
  • Push plants emit volatile chemicals that naturally repel pests away from crops
• Benefits of IPM:

  • Reduces death and mutation of non-target species
  • Reduces effects on human consumers
  • Reduces contamination of surface and ground water by pesticides
• Drawbacks of IPM:

  • Expensive, complex, slow