The ABCs of an Organic IPM Program

In the world of pest management and agricultural production, there are several different aspects to keep in mind as you create and customize your IPM program.

With Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), Vertical Farming, and Greenhouse growth is gaining more popularity as inflation and costs of goods go up year after year more farmers, producers, investors, cities, and tech companies are getting into the space. Without a basic foundation in preventative pest management, how are you going to mitigate issues that will eventually arise in your system?

Today I am going to go over the very basics of the ABCs of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). An IPM program is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices and active monitoring that results in a holistic and preventive approach in reducing economic crop loss events. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment, system, and geographical area. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to prevent and mitigate pest damage by the most economical means, with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

In highly developed, technologically innovative, indoor and CEA systems, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides can be eliminated from use and instead, a symbiotic and preventative biological system can be put in its place. Commercial hydroponics is done in these controlled environments and these controlled conditions may increase your capital cost but greatly reduce your pesticide use and or bring it to an absolute zero (unless you have a program outside your system to mitigate any insect or pest drift into your system).

The IPM approach is applied to the agricultural setting to benefit the system and crop being grown while taking into consideration the economic and societal benefits posed by a successful program. An Organic IPM plan takes advantage of only the appropriate pest management options according to the USDA and NOP restricting residual pesticides to zero while promoting a beneficial insect program and preventative mechanical measures. Organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals, creating a marketable product for the more discretionary consumer.

Agricultural pesticides have been liberally utilized as a preventative and have led to long-term health issues throughout the world. These applications have also increased the genetic resistance to the targeted pests. These chemicals are traditionally utilized to eliminate any pests that will eat any vegetative or flowering plants but at the cost of residue and potential harm along the food chain.

Depending on the system and what tools can be used in the grower's toolbox, whether they are organic or synthetic, pesticides can contaminate nearby ecosystems through wind, rain, and runoff. Some pesticides can travel miles by wind and get into local bodies of water including groundwater. Even some pesticides are found in the harvested and marketed commercial crops at the point of purchase and thus are consumed by the consumer.

Indoor growing drastically reduces the need for pesticides, and for some systems they promise zero pesticide use. As long as the producers can seal off growing spaces, create traceability, and establish an effective organic IPM program, this is a possibility.

Enough with the why but more with the how. We all know the benefits of utilizing an organic system without pesticides but how is it accomplished? It can be easy as ABC...

A:?Action Threshold

At what is the cost of the pests' damage equivalent to the cost of management? Understanding your pressure tolerances for a crop and your bottom dollar is crucial.

B:?Be Proactive

By being proactive versus reactive you can identify potential issues that would cause an economic issue in your crop. This means scouting, identifying potential pressures, and understanding your thresholds.

C:?Chemical Management

The last resort option in the IPM system. Often for most organic IPM programs, you cannot apply any pesticides if they are not EPA registered and OMRI-registered without prior approval.

D:?Damage

The Pests' damage must be economically prohibitive for action to be taken. This means cosmetically or economically (causing the crop not to go to term and thus losing value).

E:?Evaluation

IPM actions should be evaluated for success or failure. Then tweaked it accordingly to make sure your system and IPM align to the goals that are to be met.

F:?Foliar Fungi

Three interaction factors (the disease triangle) are needed for growth: a susceptible host, presence at a particular location, and a suitable environment. Understanding airflow in your system, and taking care of debris, weeds, and trash can also help you mitigate this problem.

G:?Goals

What is your goal for your system? Weekly checkups to ensure you are meeting your targets? Have you promised shareholders transparency and zero pesticides? Write them down and revisit them as your IPM program evolves.

H:?Helpful Insects

A crucial component of IPM management tools, helpful beneficial insects include predators (e.g.: ladybugs, lacewings, etc.) that feed on pests. Make them a part of your program, and understand their mode of action, costs, and budget for them to be utilized weekly.

I:?Identification

The IPM system stressed the identification of pests, issues, and possible outcomes before action is taken. Understand a dichotomy key for your system.

J:?Just Do It!

Just do it! An IPM program, although seems redundant and preventative, is much akin to buying fire insurance, if you aren't prepared or taking actions to prevent it, then when the flames start you won't have anywhere to turn or a plan in place to mitigate the issue.

K:?Keep Good Records

In order to pick the most effective action good records are a must. Keeping records of issues, previous attempts to control, and the outcome of such attempts help guide one in the process of making the proper decisions in the future. Data is your friend in IPM and quantifying it allows for you to make educated decisions instead of guesses.

L:?Life Cycle

Actions should match the correct stage of the pests' life cycle. For example, it would be pointless to apply a pesticide that targets adults of the species when they have not hatched or are still in their young form. Be aware of the requirements of the product and follow them as recommended. Understand degree days and the length of time the products are in your system.

M:?Management

IPM programs choose management options based on effectiveness and risk. The ideal would be low risk and high efficiency.

N:?Non-Chemical Management

Non-chemical management includes mechanical (fences, electronic wires, handpicking, trapping, etc.), predation (introducing a non-harmful species that feeds on the pests), and parasitoid (insects that lay eggs in or near the pest you are trying to control, when the eggs hatch they feed on the pests and?kill them)?options.

O:?Organic

IPM does include the use of pesticides, which are frowned upon when it comes to the organic movement. Generally the only pesticides used in organic practices are those made from all natural materials. This can hinder your ability to control pests. However, the IPM system can be integrated into organic practices.

P:?Prevention

The ultimate goal would be to stop the pests before they can even begin to be a problem. The IPM system recommends enacting good cultural practices such as crop rotation and sanitation to stop pests problems before they even begin.

Q:?Quarantine

Isolate new plants that may be hosts or infected with pests. If pests are noticed attempt to quarantine the affected plants in order to prevent a full epidemic.

R:?Risk

Consider environmental contamination, accidental poisoning, further health risks, etc, before implementing of any actions.

S:?Spider Mites

Mites are tiny and difficult to see. If you see stippling or webbing on leaves, check the undersides to see if spider mites are present. Sprays of water, insecticidal oils, or soaps can be used for management. Spider mites have many natural enemies that often limit their numbers. A small number of mites usually isn’t cause for concern, but very high populations can be damaging, especially to annual plants.

T:?Traps

IPM suggests the use of sticky traps. These traps not only catch pests, but they allow you to actively monitor pests you are dealing with.

U:?Unwanted Species

IPM recognizes that no species is inherently a pest; it is merely a species that has a negative effect on humans. Chose your battles against the species that are causing a great amount of harm,

V:?Varying Approach

Combining several techniques is often the key to management and/or eradication. Find the right mixture of approaches that work best for your situation.

W:?Weather Information

Utilize the weather to your advantage. Calculate the pest emergence during certain weather and plan your course of action around those weather events.

X:?eXtension services

Check out your local Extension webpages for information about IPM and many other ecological and environmental issues.

Y:?Youth

?It is often much easier to combat a pest when it is in its younger stages. Always be aware of the product and/or method you are using and at what stage of life you are meant to use it. There is no sense in using a product meant to attack the pest in their adulthood while they are still in their younger stages.

Z:?Zealot

Be aware of the battle you are signing up for when it comes to battling pests. If the cost of time and money balances out to the loss created by these pests. Don't let the battle take over and turn you into a zealot. Learn to work with natures naturally occurring roadblocks and only take action when it is completely necessary to do so.?

Remember that an IPM is not a single pest control method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions, and controls. In summary, growers must be aware of the potential for pest infestation and follow a four-tiered approach. The four steps include:

• Set Action Thresholds - Before taking any pest control action, IPM first sets an action threshold, a point at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken. Sighting a single pest does not always mean control is needed. The level at which pests will become an economic threat is critical to guide future pest control decisions.
• Monitor and Identify Pests - Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control. Many organisms are innocuous, and some are even beneficial. IPM programs work to monitor for pests and identify them accurately so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. This monitoring and identification remove the possibility that pesticides will be used when they are not really needed or that the wrong kind of pesticide will be used.
• Prevention - As a first line of pest control, IPM programs work to manage the crop, lawn, or indoor space to prevent pests from becoming a threat. In an agricultural crop, this may mean using cultural methods, such as rotating between different crops, selecting pest-resistant varieties, and planting pest-free rootstock. These control methods can be very effective and cost-efficient and present little to no risk to people or the environment.
• Control - Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, IPM programs then evaluate the proper control method both for effectiveness and risk. Effective, less?risky?pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications, and action thresholds indicate that less?risky?controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would be employed, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helped you get to a starting place when considering an IPM program for your vertical farm, CEA system, or greenhouse. The idea is to create a healthy balance of monitoring, action, and effectiveness while keeping a cost fixed, production consistent, and results measurable and data-driven.