Instructional Plan
Instructor:
Unit: High Tunnel Fruit and Vegetable Production
Competencies: Fruit and Vegetable Production #4 - Explain management practices for pest control.
Greenhouse Operation & Management #19 – Identify common pests and diseases found in
Missouri greenhouses.
Greenhouse Operation & Management #20 - Describe control methods, chemical
formulations, and equipment used to control pests in the greenhouse.
Lesson 9 Title: Integrated Pest Management in High Tunnels
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 50-minute class periods
Objectives/Study Questions
At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:
 Identify the components of integrated pest management
 Recall importance of integrated pest management to growers and the environment
 Discuss a variety of control tactics available to manage insects, diseases and other pests
Materials, Supplies, Equipment, References, and Other Resources:
Materials/Supplies/Equipment:
 PowerPoint Presentation – Lesson Nine: Integrated Pest Management in High Tunnels
 Chalk Board/White Board
 H.O. – Integrated Pest Management Quiz
References and Other Resources:
 Disease Management in High Tunnels in Minnesota High Tunnel Production Manual for Commercial
Growers at http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/M1218-9.pdf
 High Tunnel Manual
 High Tunnel Pest Scouting Model at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/marketing_files/pest.pdf
(Iowa State - Leopold Center)
 High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production at
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=M173 (University of Missouri)
 Hightunnels.org - http://www.hightunnels.org/foreducators.htm
Interest Approach (Motivation):
SLIDE 1
Think about what we’ve learned so far about high tunnels, and what we know are the differences between
high tunnels, greenhouses, and growing outdoors.
Think-Pair-Share Activity
Take a moment and make a list of as many insects as you can, and whether or not each insect is harmful or
helpful. (Have students make a list of as many insects as they can think of on their own, and have them list if the
insect is harmful or helpful. Give students about 2 minutes to make their list, then stop them and have them pair
up with the person beside them and share their lists to make one list. Give them 2-3 minutes for pairing. After the
pairing is over, have students name a few of the insects they came up with for the class.
Ask Students:
Insects are the same whether inside or outside a high tunnel, but what do you think are the differences between
managing pests in a high tunnel and managing them outdoors or in a greenhouse?
Communicate Objectives, Define Problem or Decision to be Made, or Identify Questions to Investigate:
SLIDE 2
Today, we’re going to learn about managing pests in a high tunnel. In many ways, pest management in a high
tunnel is similar to managing pests in a greenhouse or outdoors. However, there are a few unique qualities of
pest management for production in a high tunnel.
The objectives for today’s lesson are:
 Identify the components of integrated pest management.
 Discuss a variety of control tactics available to manage insects, diseases and other pests.
 Recall importance of integrated pest management to growers and the environment.
Instructor Directions / Materials
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
As I mentioned, high tunnels create a unique environment that may lead to
Objective One
different disease problems and insect pests than the grower may encounter
Identify the components of
integrated pest management. in a greenhouse or the field. Also, the earliness of crops grown in a high
tunnel may help avoid some pests that normally become established later in
SLIDE 3
the season.
Even with differences, the generalities of integrated pest management (IPM)
still apply.
What is IPM? It is a common-sense, holistic approach to dealing with pests.
Basically, IMP requires growers to use their knowledge of plants and pests
and the environment in a sensible way to reduce the number of pests before
they do unacceptable damage.
SLIDE 4
IPM uses a combination of pest control tactics. This can include the use of
pesticides, but only if absolutely necessary, and after other options have
been considered. The basic components of IPM are:
 Prevention
 Monitoring
 Control Techniques
SLIDE 5
Prevention
 Using knowledge of past and potential pests to avoid future
problems
- Proper selection and care of plants can result in healthier plants
and fewer pest and disease problems. Prevention activities can
also result in plants that are more tolerant of minor maladies, and
therefore more hardy.
 Prevention Activities:
- Choose resistant and adapted species when available
- Plant according to best management practices
 This means planting at the right seeding or transplant
depth, utilizing the proper planting time, proper plant
spacing, etc.
- Plant disease- and pest-free transplants and seeds
 Inspect the seeds or transplants carefully before purchase
and planting
 Discard any infested, discolored or stunted plants
- Use sanitation practices
 Pick ripe produce frequently and cleanly
 Remove damaged and fallen produce from high tunnel
Instructor Directions / Materials
SLIDE 6
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
 Remove dead plant debris as soon as produce is harvested
 Control or remove weeds before they produce seed
- Irrigate and use mulch to minimize plant stress
- Fertilize according to need
 As determined by the soil test
 Incorporating organic matter to improve plant health
Monitoring
 Also known as inspection, detection and scouting
 Find pests and diseases early
- Before pests reach damaging levels
- While controls will be most effective
 Use of trapping devices and visual inspection
- Insects can be trapped using yellow sticky cards. This works for
very tiny insects such as thrips, aphids and whiteflies. These
small insects are difficult to see, and therefore it is difficult to
monitor the number of them in the high tunnel without trapping.
- Visual inspection can be done for larger insects such as
hornworms, cutworms and foliage diseases and disorders.
- Look at all plant parts for presence of insects, mites and diseases
 Provides information to aid in pest control decision-making process
 Inspect plants in high tunnel at least twice a week
- Count pests in specific locations and on specific plant parts
- Note the pest and the crop
- Record number found and stage of insect growth
 Is the insect found in the egg, immature or adult stage?
- Include crop observations such as height, leaf color, bud
development, symptoms and signs, etc.
The third, and most involved, component of IPM is Control Techniques.
Objective Two
Discuss a variety of control tactics
There are four different types of control techniques:
available to manage insects,
diseases and other pests.
 Cultural (Prevention Techniques)
 Biological
 Mechanical (or Physical)
 Chemical
SLIDE 7
These four management tactics can be used alone or in combination to meet
the goal of reducing or preventing pest injury.
SLIDE 8
SLIDE 9
Cultural Controls
 Horticultural practices that limit pest populations or reduce the
amount of damage that pests might cause.
 Cultural controls are essentially the same as the prevention measures
described earlier. They include:
- Maintaining plant health
- Making proper plant selections
- Choosing resistant varieties
- Using crop rotation
- Following other practices that maintain healthy, vigorous plants
Instructor Directions / Materials
SLIDE 9
SLIDE 10
SLIDE 11
SLIDE 12
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
Biological Controls
 Also known as biocontrol
 Uses living organisms to suppress or limit pest populations
 Do not eliminate pests, but help keep pest populations down
- Low level of injury expected
- Depending on tolerance level, biological controls may or may
not be an acceptable option for pest control
 The term ‘natural enemies’ is used for organisms that attack pests.
They can be categorized as:
- Predators
- Parasitoids
- Pathogens
 There are two main ways to use biological controls: augmentation
and conservation.
- Augmentation is the release of specific beneficial organisms
within an area for control of an existing pest population. It can
be moderately successful in enclosed environments, but not very
beneficial in the outdoors.
- Conservation of natural enemies preserves those already present.
 Furnish them with food, shelter and a safe environment
 Pests are food for natural enemies, so few pests must remain
for natural enemies to survive. This means there will
probably be at least a low injury level.
 Reduce the use of broad-spectrum pesticides. These injure or
kill a wide variety of organisms, including beneficial ones.
 Pathogens are microorganisms – bacteria, fungi, viruses and
nematodes. They weaken and kill pests by creating a disease or
infection.
Mechanical or Physical
 Mechanical controls separate the pest from the crop by means of a
device or action
 Effective devices for outdoor production may include fences to keep
out rabbits and other animals or screens and row covers to exclude
insects from plants.
 Actions
- Handpicking pests directly from plants
 Slugs, potato beetles, hornworms and cutworms can be
removed and destroyed from a few plants when numbers are
low.
- Forceful water sprays to dislodge aphids
- Pruning to remove diseased or infested plant material
 Hoes, cultivators, rototillers, other tools and hand pulling
may be used to kill weeds
 Install insect screening over vents and side walls
- Excludes larger insects
- Disadvantage: Reduces airflow, thus increasing temperatures
inside the high tunnel when greater ventilation is required. This
disadvantage is often overlooked when growers are not aware.
Instructor Directions / Materials
SLIDE 13
SLIDE 14
Objective Three
Recall the importance of IPM to
growers and the environment.
SLIDE 15
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
 Airflow may be reduced by 5-10% when active ventilation,
such as forced air fans, is used
 In a passively vented high tunnel, the ‘wind reduction’
created by the screening material should be considered. This
value is about 45% for a screening material that states it
reduces airflow by only 5%. This typically is a raised air
temperature of about 5 degrees F. This may not be a problem
for warm season crops, but is for others.
 Increase in temperature could be partially offset by using
peak vents or exhaust fans.
- Standard (vinyl) window screening is an economical choice.
 Must be cleaned occasionally
 Does not completely restrict influx of pests, but does reduce
 Needed pollinators (bees and bumblebees) would need to be
introduced and maintained
 Biological controls that are naturally occurring outside the
tunnel will be restricted from entering
 Not all mechanical controls are effective
- Ultrasonic and electromagnetic electronic devices neither
successfully repel insects nor attract them so they can be killed.
- Bug zappers may actually be harmful by killing more beneficial
insect predators than pests
- Insect traps (yellow sticky cards) are ineffective. Their main
utility is in detecting the presence of insects so other control
measures may be taken if necessary.
Chemical
 Chemical control is the use of pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals,
naturally occurring or synthetic, that:
- Adversely affect unwanted insects, weeds or plant pathogens
- Affect plant growth or
- Repel insects from an area
 IPM includes the judicious use of pesticides as a chemical
management tool
 Pesticides can be carefully used in combination with other tactics or
if other tactics do not give the desired level of control.
- Thoughtfully chosen and properly timed applications of the least
toxic alternatives
- Give special consideration to “soft” or “reduced risk”
compounds such as insecticidal soap, ultrafine horticultural oil,
neem compounds and other plant-based insecticides for treating
pest hot spots.
- Consider environmental consequences before application.
Growers
 IPM practices must be compatible with producer objectives for
growing in a high tunnel. This means that IPM practices must be:
- Economically viable
- Effective
- Understandable
Instructor Directions / Materials
SLIDE 16
SLIDE 17
High Tunnel Insect Control
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
- Practice can be implemented in stages
 IPM approach should also improve the grower’s profitability and
reduce risk of crop loss.
- The information gathered in monitoring is used to determine the
most economical timing of management methods.
- This helps to avoid unexpected damage and provides the
information needed to determine the most economical
management approach.
 Provides growers with greater peace of mind
- High tunnel production is a big investment for growers
- Proper field scouting results in growers knowing what the pest
populations are and enables them to make informed decisions.
This can result in a decrease in unnecessary pesticide
applications.
Environmental
 All IPM practices must be environmentally sound. Benefits received
from a control vs. the risks of that control must be considered before
any practice is developed.
 Primarily, IPM helps to protect the environment through a reduction
in unnecessary pesticide applications. Pesticides are generally the
largest environmental concern with pest management.
- The IPM approach frowns upon unwarranted pesticide uses like
‘calendar sprays’, which is pesticide applications that are applied
according to the calendar not according to actual pest density.
- Special attention should be taken to avoid pesticide use when
plant pollinators or natural enemies are present.
Major insect and mite pests of high tunnel crops should be given
consideration.

SLIDE 18
The following content within this
section on specific insect pest
problems and control methods is
optional.
SLIDE 19
Avoid having lights on in the evening or night near or inside the high
tunnel, such as security lights or lights for convenience.
- Lights will attract a range of different insects, but especially
moths. Moths or other insects attracted may be pests or
inadvertently cause crop damage.
Hornworms and Other Caterpillars of Tomato and Peppers
 Damage from tobacco and tomato hornworms usually occurs from
midsummer to fall.
- These are large caterpillars eat large irregular holes in the leaves
and may quickly defoliate plants
 Hornworms are often difficult to see because coloring is camouflage
- Tend to feed on the interior of the plant during the day and are
more easily spotted when they move to the outside of the plant at
dawn and dusk.
 Fruitworms vary in color. They prefer to feed on green fruit and
usually do not enter ripe fruit.
Instructor Directions / Materials
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
- Damage consists of deep watery cavities frequently in the stem
end of the fruit. One larva may injure several fruit.
 Inspect tomato plants. Look for fruitworm larvae on fruit and on the
leaves near green fruit and outer edges of the plant. The threshold in
the high tunnel is one caterpillar. Hornworms can be handpicked.
Insecticide sprays, especially Bt, will be more effective against small
caterpillars.
SLIDE 20
Whiteflies
 Tiny (1/16 inch long) insects that resemble tiny white moths that
disperse from the plants when disturbed.
 Most common on tomatoes and melons in late season.
 Damage is done in the immature stage (nymphs) as they suck sap
from plant leaves.
 Spread viral diseases.
 Plants should be inspected for signs of off-color or stunted plants.
Check undersides of new leaves for adults and underside of older
leaves for nymphs.
 Yellow sticky cards will monitor adults. Spray with insecticide such
as insecticidal soap when there is .5 whitefly per sticky card early in
the season and two per card per day as the crop reaches maturity.
SLIDE 21
Aphids
 Winged aphids migrate into the high tunnel from wild hosts and
establish colonies on the plants.
 Soft-bodied, pear-shaped small insects that may be found on stems
but are usually on the underside of the leaf.
 Suck sap from the plant, causing the leaves to curl under and become
deformed and weaken the plant.
 Also vectors of certain plant viruses.
 Scout plants closest to tunnel openings for infestations, focusing on
undersides of leaves and growing tips.
 Wide range of control options exist. Systemic insecticides can be
used at transplanting on some crops. Contact insecticides or naturally
existing natural enemies may keep numbers tolerably low.
SLIDE 22
SLIDE 23
Spider Mites
 Tiny (about .5mm long) and live on the undersides of plant leaves
 Puncture plant cells to feed on the sap
 Severe spider mite damage will result in speckled “bronzing”
discoloration of the leaves, reduced growth of the plant and possible
early defoliation and plant death
 Thrive in hot, dry weather and are more likely from mid season
through fall
 Inspect leaf undersides for egg webs, cast skins and all stages of the
spider mite
 Control weeds and practice clean mowing around the tunnel to help
prevent movement in from outdoors.
 Begin treatment when symptoms appear, using insecticidal soap or
Instructor Directions / Materials
SLIDE 24
SLIDE 25
SLIDE 26
SLIDE 27
High Tunnel Plant Disease
Control
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
other miticide. Miticides do not kill eggs so repeat application should
be considered.
Thrips
 Small (1/16 inch long) and elongated insects found in flowers or on
the undersides of leaves, depending on the crop.
 Damage to the plants is caused by adult and nymph thrips scraping
the surface of the leaves with their mouthparts and feeding on the
exuding sap.
 Damaged plants will have small, silver streaks on the leaves and the
plant looks as though it has been sandblasted.
 Early detection is important
 Regularly and frequently inspect plant blossoms and leaf undersides.
 Sticky traps can detect winged adult thrips.
 Systemic, targeted insecticides applied at transplanting will be
effective in controlling thrips for about 35 days on certain crops.
 Spray contact insecticides, including insecticidal soap, for control.
Cucumber Beetles
 Same striped and spotted cucumber beetles that will attack fieldgrown cucurbits and transmit bacterial wilt can damage high tunnel
melons.
 Overwintered adults feeding on transplant leaves and stems can kill
small plants. Plants that survive may be infected with bacterial wilt
pathogens and succumb to the disease in mid season.
 Striped cucumber beetle adults frequently feed on the fruit surface,
reducing aesthetic appeal and creating openings for sap beetles and
disease organisms.
 Can be excluded from transplants by using row covers in the high
tunnel
 Systemic insecticides applied at transplanting will provide up to 35
days of control, which is long enough to reduce bacterial wilt and
infection.
 Further control through the growing season can be accomplished by
applying foliar insecticides. Avoid using insecticides that may be
toxic to pollinating insects.
 There are no effective biological control techniques these beetles.
High tunnels can reduce disease impact by:
 Elevating soil temperatures slightly but enough to prevent common
cool weather damping-off and root rots
 Keeping foliage dry, thus preventing the establishment of most, not
all, foliar diseases
SLIDE 28
Powdery mildew can germinate in the absence of free water and can be an
even more serious problem in high tunnels than in a field-grown crop.
Instructor Directions / Materials
SLIDE 29
SLIDE 30
SLIDE 31
SLIDE 32
Content Outline, Instructional Procedures, and/or Key Questions
Disease management in the high tunnel should include the following
considerations:
 Use plastic mulch combined with trickle irrigation to keep foliage
dry and reduce splash of soil-borne pathogens.
 Maintain humidity to remove excess moisture that provides
conditions conducive to certain diseases.
- Use ventilation by raising and lowering the plastic sides of the
high tunnel and follow plant-spacing guidelines to allow good
air flow within the tunnel and around plants.
 Use disease-resistant varieties when possible and always start with
disease-free seed and transplant.
 Provide optimal growing conditions through proper irrigation,
fertilization, staking, pruning and other cultural practices to increase
plant health and vigor.
 Practice sanitation to remove and destroy infected plants as they are
found. Pick produce frequently, cleanly and completely. Remove all
over-ripe and damaged produce from the tunnel to reduce inoculums.
Remove all plant residues at the end of the season.
 Practice crop rotation. Rotate annual crops among structures or
among zones within the structure.
Powdery Mildew
 Major problem for all crops
 Environmental conditions in a high tunnel favor its development
 Produces white, powdery colonies on leaves, petioles, and stems of
infected plants
 Usually appears on the lower leaves and gradually spreads through
the canopy
 Plants become weakened from leaf loss, and fruit size can be
significantly reduced
 Choose resistant cultivars when possible and inspect plants regularly,
starting at fruit set.
 Many effective fungicides are labeled for powdery mildew control,
including several synthetic fungicides and organic products such as
mineral oils and potassium bicarbonate. Alternate synthetic
fungicides to prevent the development of resistance.
Closure/Summary:
After 10 minutes of group study,
stop students and review as a class. Your evaluation for this lesson is going to be a post-lesson quiz.
Have students discuss what they
thought were the most important For the next ten minutes, gather up with one or two people near you, and
points from the lesson. If students review your notes from this lesson. As a group, discuss the notes and pick
do not discuss content that is on the out five to ten key points from the lesson.
quiz, be sure to lead them to the
discussion of these points.
Distribute H.O. – L9: Integrated Pest Management Quiz
Evaluation: