The Foundation of an IPM Program and Implementation--Strategies and Tactics
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Traditionally, IPM programs focused on management of agriculture pests. However, IPM programs have broadened to include control of structural insect pests in homes, schools and other buildings. In fact, there is a School IPM Program in Virginia, which aims at reducing the need for repeated pesticide applications.
IPM programs for agricultural pests, such as insects, plant pathogens, weeds and nematodes, are more complex than IPM programs for structures. This is because the interaction of the pest, the plant and the environment influences the development of pest problems and all warrant consideration when formulating an integrated management strategy. Other biological factors may also warrant consideration, such as lifecycles of beneficial organisms .
The complexity of IPM programs in agriculture is why visualization of IPM along a continuum is beneficial. Implementing IPM for plant pests can be seen as a continuum from no IPM, to low levels of IPM implementation, to high (Figs. 1 and 2). Progress occurs along the continuum toward further implementation of IPM, as a diversity of IPM tactics is used, to manage pest problems.
Figure 1. USDA IPM Continuum, adapted from Jacobsen, 1997.
| No IPM | Low | Medium | High |
| No scouting, primary control is pesticide treatment | Scouting and threshold-based pesticide treatment |
Scouting and threshold-based pesticide treatment and 1 or 2 IPM preventative practices |
Scouting and threshold-based pesticide treatment and at least 3 IPM preventative practices |
Figure 2. IPM Preventative Practices, adapted from Jacobsen, 1997.
| No IPM | Low | Medium | High or Bio-intensive IPM |
| No preventative practices, monitoring or alternative, non-chemical control methods. Reliance on chemical controls. | Scouting, crop rotation, pest-free seed/plant material, pest-resistant varieties, cultivation, attractant baits/crops, selective pesticides, edge treatment, sprayer calibration |
Weather-based forecasting, nutrient and water monitoring, green manures/compost, precision agriculture, induced resistance activators, elimination of alternate host, pest biotype monitoring |
Release of beneficials, biocontrols, pheromones, trap crops, soil solarization, interactive pest/weather/crop models, primarily non-chemical preventative approach |
Jacobsen, B.J. 1997. Role of Plant Pathology in Integrated Pest Management. Pages 373-391 in Annual Review of Phytopathology, vol. 35. APS, St. Paul, MN.
Virginia Cooperative Extension - Virginia Agriculture & Experiment Station