FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
MODULE C1to8
© ENDURE, February 2007
Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
Concept and Principles
Index
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• Sources of information
• IPM concept and definition
• IPM strategy
• The IPM Principles in the EU Directive
• IPM Principles
© ENDURE, February 2007
• Topics for final discussion
Sources of information
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• European Commission. Directorate General Environment
Implementation of IPM principles Guidance to Member States
• ENDURE
European Network for the Durable Exploitation of Crop
Protection Strategies
http://www.endure-network.eu/
• IOBCwprs
Guidelines for Integrated Production. Principles and
Technical Guidelines, 3rd edition
IOBC/WPRS Bulletin. 2004 (http://www.iobc-wprs.org/
ip_ipm/index.html)
Integrated plant protection in the context of a sustainable
agriculture.
IOBC/wprs Bulletin 21(1): 19-22. 1998.
© ENDURE, February 2007
• IOBCwprs
IPM concept and definitions
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
There are several definitions of Integrated Pest
Management. Most of them include the aspects
highlighted by IOBC in the following one:
“The use of all economically, ecologically and toxicologically
defensible methods to keep damaging organisms below
economic damage levels whilst conscious exploitation of
natural control factors is emphasized”
The ENDURE definition of IPM is:
© ENDURE, February 2007
“IPM is a sustainable approach to managing pests by
combining biological, cultural and chemical tools in a way
that minimises economic, environmental and health risks”
IPM concept and definitions
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
IPM is then a continuously improving process in which
innovative solutions are integrated and locally adapted as
they emerge and contribute to reducing reliance on
pesticides in agricultural systems.
© ENDURE, February 2007
But, which is the strategy to apply IPM?
IPM strategy
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Indirect Plant Protection Methods
Monitoring and Forecasting Systems
Direct Control Methods
© ENDURE, February 2007
But, still, how the different methods are prioritized ?
IPM strategy
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
0. Legal control methods
(quarantine)
1. Optimal use of natural resources prior to
planting
(agronomic tecniques, plant resistance)
2. Farming practices without negative impact on
the agroecosystem
3. Protection and conservation of natural
enemies
(biological control, ecological infrastructures)
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(agronomic techniques, mechanical methods)
IPM strategy
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Decision to apply direct control measures
Monitoring and forecasting systems
Epidemiology and forecasting models
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Economic Injury Level and Action Threshold
IPM strategy
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
4. Use of selective pest control methods
(sterile insect technique, biological and microbial control,
ethological (pheromone-based) control
5. Use of other pest control methods
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(chemical control, but also with a preference for the most
specific and selective pesticides)
The IPM Principles in the
EU Directive
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
The EU Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of
pesticides request the Member States to:
• Promote the use of IPM by professional users of
pesticides
• Establish or support the establishment of necessary
conditions for the implementation of IPM
• Ensure that the general principles of IPM, stated in
the Directive, are implemented by all professional users
by 1 January 2014
© ENDURE, February 2007
• Encourage professional users to implement crop- or
sector-specific guidelines for IPM on a voluntary basis
Principle 1
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• protection and enhancement of key beneficial organisms,
• within the crop field
• selection of pesticides with less harmful side effect
• application techniques (reduce spray drift)
• timing of application
• adjacent to the crop field (field edges)
• ecological infrastructure (compensation areas)
• special attention to avoid harm to pollinators
• maintain overall biotic diversity
© ENDURE, February 2007
• use of resistant/tolerant cultivars and standard/certified
seed and planting material,
• appropriate cultivars for local conditions
• resistant/tolerant to key diseases, pests
• high quality certified propagating materials
Principle 1: Examples
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Crop rotation trial for Western Corn Rootworm:
Maize rotated to maize, WCR adults captured in
soybean, sunflower,
soybean, winter wheat,
winter wheat
sunflower, maize
WCR larvae in subsequent
year’s maize after the precrops listed before
800
35
700
30
600
25
500
20
400
15
300
10
200
5
100
0
CROP: CORN
PRE-CROP: WINTER WHEAT
0
Resistance or tolerance of
winter wheat cultivars
(example from Hungary)
SOYBEAN
SUNFLOWER
CORN
SOYBEAN
CORN
SUNFLOWER
CORN
CORN
CORN
Field margin maintaining biodiversity
© ENDURE, February 2007
WINTER WHEAT
Principle 2
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Harmful organisms must be monitored by adequate
methods and tools, where available.
Monitoring methods and tools:
• regular and thorough visual observations in the fields;
Visual observation on the maize
fields (Hungary)
Early warning
system for wheat
yellow rust
(Eurowheat)
© ENDURE, February 2007
• scientifically sound warning, forecasting and early
diagnosis system;
Principle 2
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• various traps (color cards, pheromone and other bait
based traps, etc. )
Various trap
types
• use of advice from professionally qualified advisors
© ENDURE, February 2007
Advisor and
farmers on the field
Principle 2: Examples
200
150
Regoly, 2004
Szakadat, 2004
100
Attala, 2004
50
Regoly, 2006
0
WCR adults/ Pherocon AM trap/ week
250
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
3rd week
1st week
3rd week
1st week
3rd week
July
July
August
August
September
September
Population built up of WCR,
monitored by Pherocon AM
traps, at different locations and
in different years in Hungary
Assessing BLSD on banana
leaves. (Copyright: Charles de
Wulf)
© ENDURE, February 2007
Pherocon AM trap, suitable for
monitoring
of
adult
WCR
population
1st week
Principle 3
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
This decision should be taken in consideration of:
• observed abiotic (soil, weather, etc.);
• biotic (pests, natural enemies, etc.) elements on the
field;
• environmental, health and economic aspects;
• sound decision rules;
• robust and scientifically sound threshold values;
• threshold levels defined for a region, specific areas,
crops and particular climatic conditions.
© ENDURE, February 2007
Based on the results of the monitoring, the professional
user has to decide whether and when to apply plant
protection measures.
Principle 3
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
There are four type of threshold levels, such as:
• visual threshold (pest population is already observable)
• damage boundary (damage can be observed);
• action threshold (end-user should apply a plant protection
measure;)
• economic injury level (a pest population is capable to
cause a damage, which treatment costs are balanced with
the benefit resulting thereof).
• economic threshold
• action threshold
• damage boundary
© ENDURE, February 2007
• visual threshold
Principle 3: Examples
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
PlanteInfo-result of collaboration
between scientists, advisers and
meteorologists
DSS for weed management
strategy in consultation with
agronomist
© ENDURE, February 2007
Several DSS are used in various crops, orchards in
Europe, as follows:
• Diseases in horticultural crops (18 DSS)
• Diseases in arable crops (37 DSS)
• Pests (18 DSS)
• Weeds (9 DSS)
(collected and reviewed by group of ENDURE Experts)
Principle 4
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Sustainable biological, physical and other
non-chemical methods must be preferred to
chemical methods if they provide satisfactory pest control.
© ENDURE, February 2007
Methods:
• Use of ecological infrastructures to enhance
functional biodiversity
• Creation of an appropriate rotation system, etc.
• Physical/mechanical control
• Plant resistance / tolerance
• Biological and microbial control
• Pheromone and other attractants-based control
(ethological control methods)
Principle 4
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Alternative methods might:
• be more time consuming;
• have lower and/or slower pest control power;
• be more expensive;
• have less negative impact on environment;
• be more sustainable;
• are more beneficial for whole society.
© ENDURE, February 2007
Training of end-users:
• the AIM is pest management, and NOT eradication;
• diferentiate threshold levels
• on demonstration fields and/or farms
• according to participatory training principles.
Principle 4: Examples
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Trichogramma cards in maizeagainst European corn borer
Mechanical weed control
Encarsia formosa-against
whitefly in glasshouse
© ENDURE, February 2007
Grape moth larva attacked
by a chalcidoid ectoparasite
Principle 5
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
The pesticides applied shall be as specific as possible for
the target and shall have the least side effects on human
health, non-target organisms and the environment
• Selective pesticides are those non toxic to non-target
organisms
* Beneficial organisms: parasitoids and predators
* Human beings
* General fauna and flora: terrestrial and aquatic fauna
© ENDURE, February 2007
• Specific pesticides are those toxic to a limited
number of pests
* One or few species: Codling moth granulosis virus
* Higer taxonomic category: Aphicides
Principle 5
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• The specificity and selectivity of the pesticides
* Minimizes their undesirable effects: i.e. environmental
pollution
* Prevents the outbreaks of secondary pests due to
the elimination of their natural enemies: i.e. phytoseiids
that control mite populations
* But the substitution of a broad-spectrum pesticide by a
selective one may temporarily increase the population
of secondary pests
© ENDURE, February 2007
• The key natural enemies in each situation must be identified,
as they are the ones to be protected
Principle 5
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• Sources of information: the IOBCwprs database
• http://www.iobc.ch/toolbox.html
• Toxicity to natural enemies is evaluated in laboratory,
semi-field and field experiments, following a
sequential plan and using standardized methods:
© ENDURE, February 2007
• 1 harmless
• 2 slightly harmful
• 3 moderately toxic
• 4 toxic
Principle 6
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
The use of pesticides should be kept to the minimum levels
that are necessary
•This principle states the priority of the use of the
minimum amount of active ingredient per unit of surface
necessary for an efficient use of the pesticide
© ENDURE, February 2007
•The decision of the use of a given pesticide has been taken!
now, the grower needs to decide on:
* amount of active ingredient per ha (dose)
* quantity of spraying liquid per ha
* frequency of application
* complete or partial spraying of the plot
Principle 6
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• How to comply with this principle
• Use of the minimum registered dose
• Reduced application frequency
• Partial sprayings of the surface
• What about the sometimes recommended use of
reduced doses? Discussion
• They may be ok if they are related to weed or canopy
size
•The role of independent professional advisors and official
advisory services is essential
© ENDURE, February 2007
• But there may be an increased risk of resistance,
mostly in intensive systems
Principle 7
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Available anti-resistance strategies should be applied to
maintain the effectiveness of the products.
• Resistance of a pest to a pesticide is the capacity of
a population of this pest species to survive to the
exposition to doses of the pesticide which are lethal to
the normal populations of the species
• These individuals are selected by a repeated use of the
pesticide, and their percentage in the population
increases until it provokes control failures in the field
© ENDURE, February 2007
• It develops because some individuals have mechanisms
of resistance (they are able, for example, to metabolize
the pesticide)
Principle 7
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• Consequences of pesticide resistance
• Increase of the dose and the number of sprayings of a
pesticide applied by the growers
• Decrease of the commercial life of a pesticide
• Increase of the risks for human health and the
environment
• How the grower can avoid its development
• Having appropriate information and guidance on
known risk of resistance development for specific
products and pests and recommendations for antiresistance strategies
© ENDURE, February 2007
• Loss of the possibility of cultivating a crop in a entire
area
Principle 7 Example
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• Apply adequate cultural methods and mating disruption
• Monitor the population
• Choose specifically acting (selective) products as far as
• Direct the application to the most susceptible stage
• Respect manufacturer's recommendations
• Use products from any one group for only one
generation per year
• Ensure that the application technique is appropriate to
obtain complete coverage of the target area of the tree
• Do not re-use a products from the same MOA group until
resistance has been proven to be absent
© ENDURE, February 2007
Strategy for preventing Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella)
Resistance to Insecticides (IRAC)
Principle 8
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Check the success of the applied plant protection
measures
• The application of a plant protection measure has been
successful when the pest population has been
maintained below the economic injury level, not when
the pest population has been completely eliminated
• It is also important to notice that this principle addresses
all types of intervention, not only chemical ones
© ENDURE, February 2007
• This concept has to be explained to growers very
clearly
Principle 8
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• Checking the success important because
• IPM is a continuous process that always needs
improvements
• The knowledge of the success of the plant protection
measures applied is a key element to achieve this
improvement
© ENDURE, February 2007
• The maintenance of farm record in field books allows a
detailed study of the reasons of failures that might have
occurred, and the proposal of corrective actions
Principle 8
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
• Success may be rated in categories
• ‘measure failed’
• ‘measure provided adequate results’
• ‘measure provided excellent results’
• It is important that such definitions are established for
each plant protection measure group separately, since a
non-chemical method might lead to the same success,
but might take some more time.
© ENDURE, February 2007
• For each category, a definition is necessary, taking into
account the monitored pest decrease and the necessary
period for the plant protecting measure.
Topics for final
discussion
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY
Which are the conditions you need to sucessfully apply
In the field an IPM program?
• Availability of a range of effective and affordable IPM
solutions
• Availability of precise monitoring systems
• Continuous up-dating of knowledge
• Advisory services
•Subsidies
• Collaboration among growers of the same area
© ENDURE, February 2007
• Add yours!!