ABSTRACT
The growth of the organic sector is challenging insect pest management (IPM). An increasing demand for organic products has supported expansion of the sector but has also drawn IPM away from a primary reliance on preventive pest control methods to a dependence on curative methods, particularly insecticides, which should be employed as a last resort (Zehnder et al. 2007). Here, we state a case for
8.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 175 8.2 Essentials of Insect Pest Management .......................................................... 177 8.3 Pest Management Strategies ......................................................................... 181
8.3.1 Prevention of Crop Colonization ...................................................... 182 8.3.1.1 Isolation of Farms and Fields ............................................. 183 8.3.1.2 Spatial and Temporal Rotation of Crops ............................ 185 8.3.1.3 Physical and Living Barriers.............................................. 185
8.3.2 Limiting Pest Establishment ............................................................. 188 8.3.2.1 Maintaining a Healthy Crop .............................................. 188 8.3.2.2 Utilization of Insect-Resistant Plants ................................. 190 8.3.2.3 Biodiversity and Conservation Biological Control ............ 191 8.3.2.4 Disruption by Semiochemicals .......................................... 196 8.3.2.5 Physical Alteration of Crops .............................................. 197
8.3.3 Control of Insect Pests Following Colonization ............................... 197 8.3.3.1 Inundative Releases of Biological Control Agents ............ 199 8.3.3.2 Application of Insecticides ................................................200 8.3.3.3 Mechanical Removal .........................................................202
