Integrated pest management is the combination and rational use of biological, agro-technical, chemical or plant breeding (resistant varieties) measures to minimise the use of plant protection products and maintain pest populations at levels that do not cause economically significant crop damage or loss.
Key elements of Integrated Pest Management:
- Preventive measures - all measures to ensure the normal growth and development of plants. The implementation of these measures reduces or eliminates the occurrence of harmful organisms and the likelihood of infection,
- Monitoring - the observation of crops in order to note the presence of the harmful organism, the dynamics of its spread, taking into account the distribution of its natural enemies, and to decide on the necessary measures to control the harmful organism,
- Direct plant protection measures - action, intervention, where necessary, to control harmful organisms, based on data showing that a harmful organism is likely to occur at a destructive level.
Requirements:
- Plant rotation,
- Fertilization according to the fertilization plan, after carrying out agrochemical research or soil analysis,
- Regular field monitoring, record keeping,
- Prioritizing 'non-chemical' methods for plant protection and only then making decisions on the use of chemical plant protection products based on field monitoring data.