ABSTRACT

Modern pest control involves integrated pest management. This is an ecological approach to pest management that brings together at least four techniques. First, it uses natural pest enemies, including parasites, diseases, competitors, and predators (biological control). Second, it advocates the planting of a greater diversity of crops to lessen the possibility that a pest will find a host. Third, it advocates no or little ploughing so that natural enemies of some pests have a chance to build up in the soil. Fourth, it allows the application of a set of highly specific chemicals, used sparingly and judiciously (unlike the old application method that tended to be profligate). Integrated pest management involves the use of chemicals, the development of genetically resistant stock, biological control, and land culture. Land culture is the physical management of the land-whether and how it is ploughed, what kind of crop rotation used, the dates of planting, and basic means of handling crop harvests to reduce presence of pest in residues and products sold.