Integrated Pest Management

Humanity has mistreated the countryside due to the excessive use of pesticides, causing a devastating effect on the food chain (eliminating the natural predators of some pests) and an accumulation of harmful agents in the water, soil, air and, consequently, in the food. The incorporation of these chemical elements into nature caused the loss of different forms of life. As an example, we have organochlorine compounds that remain in the environment for more than 30 years and have a cumulative effect in the body of a mammal, mainly in fatty tissues, causing lung, colon, and skin cancer, among others. Pests are a critical threat to agricultural activity and integrated pest management helps farmers face and mitigate these risks. This approach is based on the use of various techniques together, it is a very effective solution against this kind of problem. The importance of integrated pest management lies in the elimination of aggressive chemical methods to minimize damage to people and the environment, using instead other natural and safer options, contributing to sustainable agriculture. There are dissimilar ways to carry out an Integrated Pest Management successfully, which include, for example: Cultural Control: The cultural variant of integrated pest management in crops includes the following techniques: soil treatment; selection of suitable plants; crop rotation; intercropping or strip cropping; choice of planting dates; weed control; use of trap plants. Physical and Mechanical Control: This method includes: Manual removal, traps, barriers, pruning and raking, irrigation management, heat and steam treatment. Biological control: Among the types of integrated pest management, this method seeks ways to destroy pests through predators, parasitoids, pathogens, and other biological control agents (also known as antagonistic organisms). The function of biological control is to cause a minimum imbalance in ecosystems by imitating nature. Integrated pest management through biological control is similar to natural processes, but there is no human intervention in them. There are a large number of countries that have declared IPM as the preferred approach to crop protection and are supporting technical training at the field level through National IPM Programs and Farmer Field Schools. These programs increasingly have financial support from local and national governments. In the last👇 Chemical Control: This integrated pest management group applies natural or synthetic chemicals to repel or eradicate pests. Biopesticides are natural repellents that contain plant extracts or oils, making them the safest option for humans, animals, and crops. This information shows that chemical control is the last resort for Inegrated Pest Management