AGPS 5003 - Integrated Pest Management Sys

This course will provide students with an intensive introduction to the integrated management of weeds, pest insects, and disease. Integrated pest management is composed of two key elements: 1) the use of multiple control tactics and 2) the integration of knowledge of pest biology into the management systems. Students will first be introduced to potential reasons for adopting integrated pest management in organic and conventional systems: reduced farm expenditures, product premiums, reduced environmental impact, and the reduced growth of control-resistant pest populations. Students will then learn the biology of economically-important pests in New York State, and how cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical tactics may be combined to interrupt pest life cycles. They will learn that failure to vary pest management practices will favor resistant pest populations in any system, even organic. Finally, students will develop a pest management plan for 3 to 4 crops they expect to produce after graduation; these plans will consider control costs, likelihood of resistance, production risk, and producer skill.