Pest+and+pathogen+control

=Pest & Pathogen Control = Throughout history, farmers have used a variety of measures to control pests and diseases. The ancient Greeks, for example, used smoke to repel insects and natural poisons, including arsenic, to kill them. Without some form of pest control, the loss of crops and animals would be severe. In the 1940s, the invention of modern pesticides DDT, in particular appeared to be the key to controlling pests. Most were relatively cheap, effective in small amounts, and thought to be non-toxic to humans and animals. However, pesticides are by their nature toxic; intended to kill pests and predators, and many pesticides, whether natural or synthetic, can be highly toxic or can have persistent effects on an ecosystem or even human health. As a result of the widespread and abundant use of pesticides, pest resistance increased, and a rise in secondary pest outbreaks occurred. The members of a pest population possessing random genetic mutations making them resistant to the lethal effects of a pesticide are able to survive, breed, and pass along their resistant trait to their offspring. Eventually, a larger percentage of the pest population will contain the resistant gene, making the pesticide less effec­tive. Older pesticides, which were broad-spectrum (not targeted to a specific pest), made it difficult to develop a genetic resistance; but, newer pesticides attack a specific pest which may allow for faster development of resistance. This is an example of trading one risk for another. Considerable research has been conducted to develop safer pesticides, techniques that minimize the amount of pesticide required, and alternative methods of control. Much of this research focuses on the use of natural predators (biocontrol), genetic modification, and integrated pest management. The general view is that the most effective long-term solution to pest control will involve a combination of methods. Yet, despite the advances, traditional pesticides continue to be most often used due to their ease of use and overall effectiveness.   Pesticide Information Program

Clemson University's Department of Entomology, Soils & Plant Sciences presents basic information, current concerns, publications, and educational resources on pesticides.  How Pesticide Resistance Develops

Michigan State University provides an easy-to-understand description of how pesticide resistance develops based on a chapter excerpted from Fruit Crop Ecology and Management by Larry Gut, et al.  USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES): Pest Management

CSREES funds programs and projects to support research, education, and extension activities promoting pest management and reduced-risk pest management.  Biopesticides

The Environmental Protection Agency includes fact sheets, news, study reviews, and information on regulatory activity related to the use of approved biocontrol agents.

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Beetle Mania: The Colorado Beetle Scare of 1877

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This History Today article revisits the Colorado beetle scare of 1877 when the British were afraid that the beetle that decimated the Colorado potato crop would make it to their shores. Despite widespread hysteria, the beetle never conquered the island. []

=<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Integrated Pest Management (IPM) = <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was developed in the late 1950s as a way to manage pest problems by integrating a broad-based ecological system in an economical, yet environmentally friendly, way. The goal is to help prevent organisms from ever becoming pests while eliminating or reducing the use of pesticides that can pose health and/or other environmental risks. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">**Five Essential Components of an IPM Program**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Understanding the ecology and dynamics of the crop

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Understanding the ecology and dynamics of the pest(s) and their natural enemies

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Instituting a monitoring program to assess levels of pests and beneficial insects

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Establishing an economic threshold for each pest

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Considering available control strategies and determining the most appropriate ones <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"> (Source: Dr. Cliff Ohmart, Protected Harvest 2002 ) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">IPM methods can include crop rotation, tilling, planting cover crops, and using biological controls - natural predators, including parasites. Organizations throughout the world are constantly developing new strategies to demonstrate the effectiveness of IPM without having to choose between food, health, and the environment. While specific techniques can vary from year to year and field to field, the hope is that with continued research and advocacy, integrated pest management will become more widely adopted as an approach to pest control. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Despite the many rules and regulations for pesticides in the United States and the direct promotion to utilize IPM by a variety of governmental, environmental, and public health groups, pesticides are still the most commonly utilized source of pest control due to their ease of use and effectiveness. While specific techniques can vary from year to year and from field to field, it is hoped that with continued research and advocacy, integrated pest management will become more widely used as an approach to pest control. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> National Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Network

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Department of Agriculture's IPM network includes both basic and upper level primers answering the question What is IPM? Regional websites offer information specific to local initiatives. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Cornell University houses an extensive online guidebook with photographs and descriptions of biological control agents of insect, disease, and weed pests in North America. It also serves as a tutorial on the concept and practice of biological control and integrated pest management. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> IPM Institute of North America

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This non-profit institute offers an economically-based look at the practice of IPM at various levels.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">FOR THE CLASSROOM
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Integrated Pest Management in Schools: Easy as ABC

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The University of Nebraska, Lincoln offers an entire website dedicated to IPM education with several modules, teaching ideas, web-based resources, and how-to-resources on implementing IPM methods of pest control at school. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> IPM Pesticides and Regulations: A Lesson Plan

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This lesson plan, provided by Iowa State University, gives students an introduction to the major laws and regulations associated with pesticides, along with explaining the Congressional process and the authorization of government agencies to enforce them. [Grades 12- Undergraduate]