Integrated Pest Management

(IPM) concepts and grower

training needs in Hawaii’s
tropical fruit industry

Is IPM a sustainable approach to managing pests?

[Sustainable: “method of using a resource so that the resource
is not depleted or permanently damaged”]

Pest Control – often creates its own problems – can lead to

permanent “damage”.
 Pest Management vs. Pest Control

• Pest management aims to maintain insect

populations below a threshold;
• Emphasis is not on eradication.
The UH IPM Verification Program

IPM Implementation on 75% of Hawaii's Crop

Acres by the Year 2001. Our highest priority
is implementation to meet President Clinton’s
goal for IPM implementation on 75% of the
nations crop acres.

http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/IPM/
 Verification is based on points
allocated for:
• Development and implementation of IPM
procedures;

• Monitoring, application of various options,

justification for each action.

• Farmer provides documentation for annual

audit.
 Insects – prevalent features of our
environment
• Number of species;
• Interactions in
ecosystems and
with us;
• Our major competitors.
 Understanding insect numbers
• May be explosive outbreaks

• Seasonal changes in numbers;

• What are the causes of changes in abundance?

• Insect ecology examines dynamics of
insect numbers temporally and
spatially;

• Phenology and diversity are also

important;

• Interactions with plants and other

insects.
• Ecology aims to explain how environment
(biotic and physical) affects abundance,
phenology and diversity of insects;

• Therefore ecology forms the basis for pest

management.

• Understand both ecology and economy to

implement IPM
 Some history: Dealing with pests
• Pre-insecticide era: 2500 B.C.: Sulfur, herbs
and oils used to protect seeds and stored
grain.
• 300 B.C.: Plant phenology recognized as a
means of avoiding pests; Chinese started
using natural enemies of insects.
• By 1101, Chinese used soaps to control pests;
• Late 1600’s: tobacco infusions , arsenic used.
• 1700’s: Importance of temperature
summation in determining insect phenology
discovered!
Plant resistance used in the USA;
Botanical insecticides rediscovered.
• 1800’s: inspection and quarantine became
important;
• 1920 - 1930’s: Depended on crop sanitation,
timing of planting, minor use of insecticides.
• Insecticide era: ~1939 - 1962: DDT was
discovered; Organophosphates later.
• Purely insecticide-based approach to pest
problems emerged.
• 1962: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• The concept of Integrated Pest Management
was developed.

• Emphasized the selective use of insecticides,

and conservation of natural enemies.

Emphasis shifted from control to management.

Tolerance, rather than decimation encouraged.
 Elements of IPM:
• Multiple tactics used in a compatible manner;

• Pest numbers below levels that cause

economic damage;

• Consideration of environmental impact.

IPM = Sustainable Pest Management?
 Aims of IPM:
• Reduce pest populations to levels below
those causing economic impact, using
multiple, compatible techniques;

• Reduce environmental impact of pest

management.
 Economic injury level
Lowest number of insects that will cause
economic damage.
Economic / Action threshold:
Number of insects that should instigate
management action
 Economic decision levels - thresholds

• Usually expressed as number of insects per area,

plant, or sampling procedure

• Sometimes use extent of plant damage

• Include biological and economic information

 Gain threshold
• Expresses the beginning point of economic damage.

Management costs
Gain thres hold 
Market val ue

$10 / acre
GT   5 bushels per acre
$2 / bushel

• Insecticide application would have to save 5 bushels

per acre to be profitable
 Economic threshold
• Also called Action Threshold – Insect density
that would justify intervention

• May be a fixed economic threshold: e.g. if EIL is

6 insects per plant, intervene at 4 insects per
plant;
 12
Economic loss
10
Non-economic loss
Number of Insects

2
No loss
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Time
 12
Economic injury level:

10
Number of Insects

4 Economic
threshold

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Time
 IPM Options:
• Biological control
• Physical control
• Cultural control
• Chemical control

Monitoring insect numbers is the cornerstone

of IPM
Approaches to monitoring:
Various methods:
• Direct counts
• Traps
• Damage estimates
• Prediction: degree-days
 Benefits of monitoring:
• Track numbers of pests and natural enemies;
• Able to target insecticide applications at the
correct time;
• Enhances conservation of natural enemies;
• Indicate efficacy of treatments.
 Biological control:
• Natural enemies of pests cause mortality;
• Can maintain pest population at below-threshold levels

Predators

Parasitoids

Pathogens
 Types of BC:
• Import natural enemies - establish in field -
Classical BC;
• Augmentative releases: inundative or
inoculative releases each season;
• “Conservation” BC: depend upon local
natural enemies.
• All these approaches require conservation of
natural enemies to be effective.
 Conserving natural enemies
Reduce insecticide use;
Use softer chemicals;
Manipulate habitats, e.g.
intercropping.
 Concerns: Biological Control
• Non-target effects?

• “Necessary evils: murder, drugs and

biological control” (Lockwood 1999)

• Host specificity testing

• Risk assessment protocols?

 Insecticides
• Insecticides as resources:
Huge financial investment for development;
Potential for Use or Abuse of this resource;
Can play an important role in providing options
for pest management.
 Problems with insecticides:
• Kill or disrupt natural enemies
• Secondary pests
• Residues on produce
• Build-up of resistance – insecticide
“treadmill”
• Environmental concerns
 Build-up of resistance:

1 2

3 4
 Dealing with resistance
Wrong approach:
• Raised concentrations of active ingredients!
• Increased frequency of application!
Correct approach:
• Reduce reliance on chemicals.
• Alternation of chemical groups.
• Targeted insecticide applications.
 Example of rotation program:

Pyrethroids IGR’s

Organophosphates Carbamates

“Organics” CHC’s
 Benefits of insecticides:
• Can be effective if used correctly
• Can provide an immediate solution
• New formulations are safer
• Target-specific modes of action are being
developed
• Effective chemicals should be conserved as a
component of sustainable pest management
programs.
 Summary
• IPM requires pest and beneficial insect
identification;

• Need effective means of managing these;

• Require economic information;

• Require training to encourage adoption.

 Are fruit growers interested in IPM
training and verification?

• What are the needs of growers in terms of

training?

• Would verification be valuable to you?

• Should we proceed to develop verification

guidelines?
Mark G. Wright
Department of Plant & Environmental
Protection Sciences, CTAHR, UHM

Tel: 808 956-7670

Email: markwrig@hawaii.edu
Website: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/wrightm