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What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated Pest Management is an eco-friendly
technique of controlling pest using long
term prevention and environmental balancing
strategies such as habitat management, implementation
of resistant varieties, application of organic
pesticides, Seasonal rotation of crops,
Application of Bio-rational products, etc.
The purpose of adopting Integrated Pest
Management is to reduce the use of synthetic
pesticides and other pest control products
to protect the efficiency of environment
from its depletion. This method of controlling
pest has been strictly recommended for the
farmers of USA by Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA),
US in order to avoid the feasible damage
that can be occurred to the environment
and people as well.
The method involves regular monitoring of
the pests to study their life cycle and
their habitation for determining the apt
control technique that needs to be carried
out. And also the appropriate pesticide
with variation in its concentration corresponding
to the type of pests will be decided. The
purpose of such intense research before
application can help in protecting other
beneficial insects in the medium.
Prevention of pest is another vital role
of IPM. Use of synthetic pesticides can
control pests only during its application,
and it fails on a long run. Moreover, it
does not have the ability to prevent the
pests from their invasion on later stage.
However, the method IPM can positively prevent
the pests by some measures like crop rotation,
use of bio-pesticides such as Neem oil,
cultivation of resistant varieties and by
inviting some beneficial insects.
Role of Neem
oil in IPM:
Among all measures of IPM, application of
Neem oil has proven as the best and effective.
Neem oil extracted from Neem tree belongs
to organic type of pesticide that can control
and prevent about 500 insect species efficiently.
The presence of anti-pest constituent Azadirachtin
is seemed to be responsible for the effect
of Neem oil. The oil not only eradicates
the pests but also improves the fertility
of the soil. It does not affect the beneficial
insects when sprayed with mild concentration.
Since it is organic it is eco-friendly in
character means does not affect the plant
life in any way. In addition it also controls
various bacterial and fungal diseases like
powdery
mildew, black leaf
spots, etc. ensuring the healthy vegetation.
Degradation of Neem oil in the soil is simple
when it is exposed to UV sun rays thereby
prevent contaminating the ground water on
percolation of rainwater from the field
soil. Furthermore, the cost of Neem oil
is also less. Thus the role of Neem oil
in IPM has been hailed as the foremost and
worthy measure of pest control.
Author: Adam Teaser - neem
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