|
Key Elements of Ecological Pest Management
Ecological Pest Management relies on preventive
rather than reactive strategies. your cropping
program should focus primarily on preventive practices above and
below ground (#1 and #2) to build
your farm’s natural defenses. Reactive management (#5
and #6) is reserved for problems not solved by
the preventive or planned (#3 and #4)
strategies.
OVERALL STRATEGIES:
 build
the strengths of natural systems into your agricultural landscapeto
enhance its inherent pest-fighting capacity.
enhance
the efficiency of your farm, including cycling of nutrients, flow
of energy, and/or the use of other resources.
These broad strategies and the individual practices that follow
result in systems that are:
self-regulating
— keeping populations of pests within acceptable boundaries
self-sufficient
— with minimal need for “reactive” interventions
Resistant
to stresses such as drought, soil compaction, pest invasions
Resilient
-- with the ability to bounce back from stresses
1) Crop management: above ground habitat
conservation and enhancement of biodiversity within and surrounding
crop fields. Use a variety of practices or strategies to
maintain biodiversity, stress pests and/or enhance beneficial organisms.
Select
appropriate crops for your climate and soil
Choose
pest resistant, local varieties and well adapted cultivars
Use
legume-based crop rotations, alternating botanically unrelated
crops
Use
cover crops intensively
Manage
field boundaries and in-field habitats (ecological islands) to
attract beneficials, and trap or confuse insect pests
Use
proper sanitation management
Consider
intercropping and agroforestry systems
2) soil management: below ground habitat
conservation and enhancement. Build healthy soil and maintain
below ground biodiversity to stress pests, enhance beneficials and/or
provide the best possible chemical, physical, and biological soil
habitat for crops.
Build
and maintain soil organic matter with crop residues, manures and
composts
Reduce
soil disturbance (tillage)
Keep
soil covered with crop residue or living plants
Use
cover crops routinely
Use
longer crop rotations to enhance soil microbial populations and
break disease, insect and weed cycles
Maintain
nutrient levels that are sufficient for crops but do not cause
imbalances in the plant, which can increase susceptibility to
insects and diseases
Maintain
appropriate ph
Control
soil erosion and nutrient losses
Avoid
practices that cause soil compaction
3) Planned supplemental pest management
practices. The following practices can be used if research
and farmer experience indicate that -- despite the use of comprehensive
preventive management as outlined above -- some additional specific
pest management practices will still be needed:
Release
beneficial insects or apply least environmentally harmful biopesticides
Prune
to reduce humidity in the canopy and deter fungal infections
Cultivate
for weed control based on knowledge of critical competition period
4) Planned supplemental soil practices
to reduce crop stress and/or optimize yield and quality
Maintain
adequate soil water content (i.e., with careful irrigation scheduling)
Mow
rather than incorporate orchard cover crops, leaving a mulch cover
Undersow
legumes in cereals
5) Reactive inputs for pest management
If, after following preventive and planned management practices
(#1, 2, 3, and 4), pests are above threshold levels and beneficials
populations are low, release beneficials or apply selected biopesticides
with low environmental impact.
6) Reactive inputs to reduce plant stress
Use
chisel plow or subsoiler to alleviate soil compaction
Apply
nutrients to soil or foliage in response to plant deficiency symptoms
Previous Section
| Top | Next
Section
|
