Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Insect pests cause huge economic loss to crops across the globe affecting total food production which is essential to meet the demands of growing human population. Avoiding such loss is of the immediate concern for all and this is achievable through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This course on IPM will cover the basics of insects and their dominance in nature, insects as pests, reasons for their outbreak resulting in crop loss, types of pests, and mode of surveillance, sampling methods and economic damage levels of pest populations. The course also explains about the principles and concepts of pest management and different components of IPM: legal, ecological, physical, cultural, mechanical, behavioral, biological, botanical, chemical and biotechnological approaches. This course also talks on Integration of different IPM tactics, their pros and cons and Implementation of AESA - Agro-ecosystem Analysis in pest management. Lastly, successful IPM cases in Cereals (Paddy), Commercial Crops (Cotton, Sugarcane), Pulses (Redgram, Soybean), Oilseed Crop (Groundnut), Vegetable Crops (Cabbage, Tomato) and Fruit Crops (Mango, Grapes) will be discussed.