Integrated Pest Management

By: Shri. Sayaji Mehetre, Scientist officer,
Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay,
Mumbai – 400 085
E-mail : smehetre@apsra.barc.ernet.in

Agriculture in India has gone through great changes in the second half of the twentieth century. Use of high yielding varieties, intensive agricultural practices, high doses of fertilizers and chemical pesticide brought concept of modernization in agriculture. But excess use of pesticides, resurgence of minor pest, ecological imbalance, residue pesticide in food and environmental pollution.

There are different methods to control the insect pests. This includes mechanical, physical, cultural, biological and chemical control of pest. But it is fact that each method has its own limitations and due to which single method cannot give cent per cent control of the pest. Due to this concept of integrating all available methods of pest control was accepted which can overcome the situation narrated early.

Integrated Pest management (IPM) as defined by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) means a pest management system in the context of associated environment and population dynamics of the pests species utilizing all suitable technique and methods in as compatible manner as possible and maintaining pest population at levels below causing unaccepted damage or loss. Thus IPM is best combination of all possible approaches in pest management with least reliance on chemical pesticide.

Increased awareness in recent years of the dangers of chemical warfare with insects, popularization of the concept "back to Nature" by many environment protection groups there is an urgent need for an appreciation of value IPM and its effective implementation. Thus ultimate objectives of IPM are-

1. Reduce management cost.

2. Minimize environmental pollution.

3. Maintain ecological balance with minimum disturbance to ecosystem.

COMPONENTS OF IPM: - Integrated Pest Management is based on following different components.

1. Mechanical control.

2. Physical control

3. Cultural control

4. Biological control

5. Chemical control

To understand the concept of IPM study of each component is necessary. Details of each method and the different examples are given herewith.

MECHANICAL CONTROL OF INSECT PEST- Reduction of pest population by means of manual devices is called mechanical control. This includes following types:

1. Hand picking of larvae: Larvae of cutworm, leaf eating caterpillar, red pumpkin beetle are very sluggish, so they can be hand collected and destroyed easily.

2. Beating with stick: When swarm of locust come, it can be beaten by stick

3. Shaking the tree: Adults of whitegrub gathers on neem or babhul tree so by shaking tree they can be collected and destroyed.

4. Sieving and winnowing: Pests of stored grain products can b separated by this method.

5. Rope dragging in field: Rice case worm larva pupate in case prepared by the leaves which remains attached to the plant and can be removed by the dragging rope. Due to this case can fall in the stagnating water and removed easily.

6. Banding the trees: Mealy bugs on mango comes on soil for egg laying which can be prevented by putting sticky bands on stem.

7. Bagging the fruits: Fruit sucking moth on citrus or pomegranate suck the juice with the help of stout which can be prevented by bagging fruits.

8. Trenching the field: Pest like army worm, grasshoppers march from one field to other which can be prevented by trenching in field.

9. Tin collars on stem: rat can climb on coconut tree and damage the fruits. When we put the tin collars on stem they can not climb.

10. Water as barrier: Domestic pest like ant can be prevented with water.

Advantage of this method:
i. Skilled labours are not required.
ii. Cost required is very less.
iii. There are no any side effects.

Limitations of this method:
i. Time and labour requirement is high.

ii. This method is applicable only on small scale.

iii. This requires repeated application.

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF INSECT PEST: Reduction of pest population by using device which affect them physically or alter their physical environment. Manipulation of temperature, humidity, light is used for this purpose. This includes following types:

1. Sun drying: Stored grain pests can be easily controlled by sun drying.

2. Disinfection of gowdouns: Heating of gowdouns at 50-70⁰C kills the pests present insides.

3. Burning: Flame throwers are used for pests like locust.

4. Refrigeration: Cold storage of fruits and vegetables reduces pest infection.

5. Moisture: At less than 10 % moisture there is no infection of store grain pest while at high moisture in field increases infection of pyrilla in sugarcane.

6. Use of light: Light traps are used for many pests like hairy caterpillar, stem borer.

7. Use of radiation: Ionizing radiation are used to make insect sterile and their by preventing their further generations.

8. Use of sound: Ultrasonic sound is used to control rats.

9. Hot water: Hot water treatment to the sugarcane prevents damage by scale insect.

CULTURAL CONTROL OF INSECT PEST: Manipulation of different cultural practices like ploughing, harvesting, manuring, etc. for reducing pest damage is called cultural control of pest. This includes following types:

1. Crop rotation: Diamond back moth on cabbage can be controlled by rotating cabbage by a non cruciferous crop.

2. Ploughing the field: Deep ploughing in the field exposes the hidden pupae or egg stages of insect and thus get killed.

3. Earthing up: Sugarcane early shoot borer, potato tuber moth can be controlled by timely earthing up of the field. This prevents insects to lay their eggs.

4. Destruction of crop residue: Pupae of insect remains inside the crop residue and can be controlled by destroying it.

5. Variation in time of sowing: Early sowing in jowar escapes the shoot fly attack while early planting in rice reduces gall midge damage.

6. Trap cropping: Two crops of same family like cabbage; cauliflower, cotton, okra can be grown together and after attack of pest minor crop is removed which is trap crop.

7. Resistant varieties: Sowing crop varieties which are resistant to particular pest can be grown to avoid crop damage.

8. Balanced use of fertilizer: Higher does of nitrogenous fertilizers increases pest attack while pottasic fertilizer make plant more resistant.

Advantages:

1. As we are using same cultural practices no extra cost is required.

2. This method is safe for application.

Disadvantages:

1. This method is effective for single pest only.

2. There are no visible results observed.

3. This method is not effective at epidemic condition.

4. Detailed knowledge of biology of pest is required for this purpose.

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF INSECT PEST: Study and utilization of natural enemies of insect like predators, parasites and pathogens by man to manage pest population below economic injury level is called biological control of insect pest. Following are the examples of bio-control agents used in IPM program:

Predators : Organisms which feed on other insects having body size greater or equal to the insect is called predators. This includes,

1. Lady bird beetle: This insect feeds on aphids.

2. Chrysoperia carnea: The larvae of this insect feed on all soft bodied insects like aphids, jassids, white flies, mealy bug, etc.

3. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri : This insect feeds on mealy bugs on grapes.

Parasites : Those insects whose larvae feed internally or externally on the body of other insect is called parasites. This includes,

i. Egg parasite: Trichogramma chilonis parasites egg of Helicoverpa armigera.

ii. Larval parasite: Bracon hibitor parasites larvae of H.armigera.

iii. Pupal parasite: Goniopthalmus halli parasites pupae of H.armigera.

iv. Adult parasite: Epiricania melanoleuca parasites adults of sugarcane pyrilla.

v. Egg larval parasite: Copidosoma kohleri parasities egg of potato tuber moth and comes out at larval stage by killing the pest.

Pathogens: Microorganisms like bacteria, virusus, fungi, protozoa and nematodes develop diseases to the pest and thus help in killing pest. This includes,

i. Bacteria: Bacillus thuringiensis develops disease in many lepidopterous pests. B.papillae develops disease in coleopterous pests.

ii. Virus: Though there are many reports of entomopathogenic viruses Nuclear Polyhedrousis Virus (NPV) and Granulosis Virus (GV) are commonly used in insect pest control.

iii. Fungus: Beauveria bassiana is used for control of lepidopterous pests. Metarrhizum anisoplae develops green muscardine disease in silk Worm. Verticillium lecanii develops disease in lepidopterous pests.

iv. Protozoa: Nosema bombysis develops pebrine disease of silkworm. N.apis develops decentary in honey bee.

v. Nematodes: Among different groups of nematodes Mermithids causes disease in insect, this includes Neoplectana carpocapsae is commonly known as DD-136. This carries bacteria called Acromobactor nematophilus which develops disease in insect.

CHEMICAL CONTROL OF INSECT PEST: Use of synthetic chemicals for managing pest population is called chemical control and the chemicals used for this are called insecticides. Though there is a controversy of using chemicals due to environmental pollution it is a fact that this is the only method which is widely accepted and gave effective control of pest. It is also true that success of green revolution is possible due to chemicals only. Indian consumption of pesticide is one lakh ton and it is increasing day by day. IPM is most likely to be misunderstood as pest management without chemicals which in fact need based use of chemicals. Thus judicious use of chemicals that to when it is really required is recommended in case of IPM.

Advantages of chemical control:

1. This method is highly effective.
2. We can get quick results in this method.
3. We can observe visible death by chemical method.
4. This method can be used at variable climatic conditions.
5. There is wide range available for selection of chemicals.
6. This method is economic also.

Disadvantages of chemical control:

1. Repeated application of chemicals is required in this method.
2. Non target species like natural enemies of insect get affected.
3. Resurgence of minor pest is observed in this method.
4. There is problem of residue in food.
5. There is direct hazard to the applicator.
6. Continous application of chemicals develops resistance in insect.

Thus after studying all these components of IPM it is clear that IPM encourages the most compatible and ecological sound combination of all available pest suppression techniques. The concept of LIVE AND LET LIVE as long as pest population does not threaten our desired yield level is the base of this concept.

It is also true that IPM is relatively complex, location specific and management intensive and has become an education challenge.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT IN COTTON: IPM in cotton consists of following different practices to be followed at each crop stage:

1. BEFORE PLANTING:

1. Remove earlier crop residues.
2. Avoid field earlier sown with cotton or okra.
3. Deep ploughing of field for 2-3 times.
4. Remove other malvaceous crops from near vicinity.
5. Seed fumigation with ED/CT for 24 hours.
6. Use certified seed only.
7. Delinting of seed with HCL.

1. AT PLANTING:

1. Seed treatment with Thiram @ 3 gm/kg seed.
2. Sowing with 2-3 seeds per hill.
3. Sow maize or cow pea at 1;10 lines to conserve natural enemies.

1. SEEDLING STAGE:

1. Remove weak and diseased plants and destroy.
2. Watch the incidence of sucking pests like aphids, jassids, and white flies.
3. Release of Chysoperla carnea @2500 larvae/ha in field.
4. Apply staggered spraying (alternate row) with 0.03% Dimethoate.

1. FLOWERING STAGE:

1. Observe the incidence of boll worm complex pest including spotted boll worm, American bollworm and pink boll worm.
2. Spray HaNPV @500 LE/ha at 15 days interval followed by 5% NEEM SEED KERNAL EXTRACT.
3. Second release of C.carrnea on untreated strips with pesticides.
4. Release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 1.5 lakh/ha at week interval for five times according to the incidence of boll worms.
5. If attack of pest is very high then spray 0.05% monocrotophos or quinalphos.

1. THREE MONTH TO LAST PICKING:

1. Collection destruction of shaded fruits.
2. Second spray of HaNPV when required.

1. LAST PICKING STAGE:

1. Uproot and dispose cotton stalk.
2. Collection and destruction of crop residues.
3. Follow up crop rotation with oilseed or cereals.

Ag - Technologies
(Pest Mgmt.)