The use of agronomic practices in integrated pest management programmes in horticulture

Description

IPM promotes the design of resilient systems that reduce both pest attacks and damage to cultivated plants. It is based on practices that foster plant tolerance and the control of pests by their natural enemies. The challenge is to combine those practices in a coherent system that should associate the benefits or even develop synergies among their identified partial effects and that should be operable for the farmer. The IPM practices considered in this chapter are related to a) the crop and its annual management; b) the enhancement of plant diversity in the cropping system at the field scale using companion plants and intercropping, as well as diversification with other cash crops. The chapter also provides c) some insights on the design of cropping systems that combine the above-mentioned IPM practices at field, farm and agrifood system scales. It also shows that designing such systems calls for additional research and new approaches.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Integrated pest management practices related to the crop and its annual management 3 Integrated pest management practices related to the enhancement of plant diversity in the cropping system at field scale 4 Designing cropping systems that combine agronomic integrated pest management practices at field, farm and agri-food system scales 5 Where to look for further information 6 References