Sometimes pests never reach levels that threaten yield, profit, or health. Managing low levels of pests with chemicals is unnecessary and sometimes backfires, causing pests to flare up. Years of research goes into determining when pest levels are unacceptable and require chemical management; those levels are called thresholds. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch provides more detail on how thresholds are calculated.
Investing in preventative management reduces the likelihood that chemical pesticides will be needed. There are many strategies to make a location unfavorable to pests; details based on location can be found in the list below.
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Regular scouting, or monitoring, of an area for pests helps catch problems early. The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship has more information on scouting/monitoring techniques. Managing a small outbreak of pests is easier than managing an outbreak that has spread undetected. A critical part of scouting is accurately identifying what you find. Sometimes a pest may look very similar to a beneficial predator, and effective management options often differ greatly depending on the pest. Online tools from university and government websites, such as the University of Minnesota Extension, are helpful for identifying pests.
Diversifying the methods you use to fight pests keeps them from finding ways to overcome your management strategies. Stacking multiple management tools can make it even harder for pests to survive. Details about management tools for different locations can be found below while more general ideas about management tools can be found on the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship website.
Sometimes pests never reach levels that threaten yield, profit, or health. Managing low levels of pests with chemicals is unnecessary and sometimes backfires, causing pests to flare up. Years of research goes into determining when pest levels are unacceptable and require chemical management; those levels are called thresholds. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch provides more detail on how thresholds are calculated.
Not surprisingly, an IPM plan for cockroaches in a school will look very different than an IPM plan for soybean aphids in soybean. Details about how to practice IPM in different locations are provided in the table below.
The system assumes grid-wide average conditions for soil moisture. If you know that your fields are particularly wet (for example, you experienced a recent rainfall event that was greater than in other parts of the grid) you should know that the risk of runoff from your fields will be higher than what is shown on the risk map. The opposite may hold true if you estimate that your soil moisture values are lower than the grid-wide average.
The system assumes grid-wide average conditions for soil moisture. If you know that your fields are particularly wet (for example, you experienced a recent rainfall event that was greater than in other parts of the grid) you should know that the risk of runoff from your fields will be higher than what is shown on the risk map. The opposite may hold true if you estimate that your soil moisture values are lower than the grid-wide average.
Applying liquid manure (typically equivalent to 1/3 to 1 inch or more of rainfall) to wet fields can lead to direct manure runoff, even if the field is otherwise a low risk site due to low slope or low P-index. Make sure your fields are dry enough to accept additional moisture. If liquid manure should runoff or pond in a field or discharge into tile lines, application must stop until the runoff can be checked. Additionally, operating field equipment on wet fields can lead to soil compaction which can greatly reduce crop yields.
Applying liquid manure (typically equivalent to 1/3 to 1 inch or more of rainfall) to wet fields can lead to direct manure runoff, even if the field is otherwise a low risk site due to low slope or low P-index. Make sure your fields are dry enough to accept additional moisture. If liquid manure should runoff or pond in a field or discharge into tile lines, application must stop until the runoff can be checked. Additionally, operating field equipment on wet fields can lead to soil compaction which can greatly reduce crop yields.
An application of 27,000 gallons per acre of liquid manure is the equivalent of adding approximately 1 inch of water to your fields. A liquid manure application effectively increases your soil moisture, and therefore the risk of runoff from fields receiving liquid manure will be higher than what is shown on the risk map.
