Chapter 24

Integrated Pest Management in Greenhouses

(book excerpts)

Greenhouse crops are very good hosts for diseases, insects, and nematodes. Greenhouses afford favorable growing conditions for the plant, and the pests also benefit from favorable environmental conditions. The key to managing greenhouse crop pests is the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) program. Integrated pest management is a balanced, tactical approach in managing diseases, insects, weeds, and other pests utilizing a wide range of pest control strategies or tactics. It involves acting to anticipate pest outbreaks and to prevent potential damage to crops in the greenhouse. The goal of this strategy is not total eradication but to prevent pests from reaching economically or aesthetically damaging. IPM is adaptable to all greenhouse-grown crops and involves specific techniques in managing pests. Successful IPM programs use a five-tiered implementation approach: (1) monitoring crops for pests, (2) accurately identifying pests, (3) developing economic thresholds, (4) implementing integrated pest control tactics, and (5) record keeping. The focus of IPM is to use a combination of integrated pest management control tactics, whether it be cultural, mechanical/physical, biological, biorational, or chemical.

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