Author
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Charlet, Laurence |
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Submitted to: Great Plains Sunflower Insect Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 7/14/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Cultural control, typically one approach of integrated pest management (IPM), includes tactics that incorporate low input costs and avoid negative since they usually use practices already associated with crop production. They act to make the environment less favorable to the pest through reduced reproduction or growth. Cultural control techniques prevent the buildup of damaging populations of the pest rather than relieve an existin induced damage is apparent. It is often necessary to direct the tactic against non-pest stages of the insect. Cultural controls are not always used alone, but frequently combined with other IPM strategies. The use of cultural controls has a number of advantages along with a few problems associated with their implementation. On the plus side, because they use basic farming practices these tactics usually do not require additional costs for equipment and lack the detrimental side effects often associated with the use of pesticides. Cultural controls are simple, effective, and inexpensive to apply. However, there are some disadvantages including the fact that they usually must be applied early, before the producer knows whether a problem will occur or not, the control is not always complete, and detailed knowledge of the pest and its biology is required to insure that the methods will be effective. There are a number of different tactics included within the IPM method of cultural control. Some of these include sanitation, crop rotation, tillage, changes in planting date, plant spacing or plant population, and trap cropping. Examples of each of these in relation to management of sunflower pests are discussed. Technical Abstract: Cultural control, typically one approach of integrated pest management (IPM), includes tactics that incorporate low input costs and avoid negative since they usually use practices already associated with crop production. They act to make the environment less favorable to the pest through reduced reproduction or growth. Cultural control techniques prevent the buildup of damaging populations of the pest rather than relieve an existin induced damage is apparent. It is often necessary to direct the tactic against non-pest stages of the insect. Cultural controls are not always used alone, but frequently combined with other IPM strategies. The use of cultural controls has a number of advantages along with a few problems associated with their implementation. On the plus side, because they use basic farming practices these tactics usually do not require additional costs for equipment and lack the detrimental side effects often associated with the use of pesticides. Cultural controls are simple, effective, and inexpensive to apply. However, there are some disadvantages including the fact that they usually must be applied early, before the producer knows whether a problem will occur or not, the control is not always complete, and detailed knowledge of the pest and its biology is required to insure that the methods will be effective. There are a number of different tactics included within the IPM method of cultural control. Some of these include sanitation, crop rotation, tillage, changes in planting date, plant spacing or plant population, and trap cropping. Examples of each of these in relation to management of sunflower pests are discussed. |
