 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Community Education > IPM Guidelines: Introduction and AcknowledgementsIntroduction The Massachusetts IPM Guidelines are a list of best management practices, developed cooperatively by growers, university faculty and extension specialists, and private IPM consultants. Additional input was solicited from commodity associations and participants in IPM verification programs and IPM courses. Practices have been evaluated for their practicality and assigned points based on their importance to IPM and/or their difficulty. The guidelines for most crops have been tested and adjusted through the USDA Farm Service Agency ICM cost-share program and through the Partners with Nature program. While these guidelines represent the best management options currently available, they will evolve as new IPM technologies are developed. IPM Guidelines can be used in a number of ways: 1.) As a checklist for farmers to evaluate their on-farm pest management programs and identify areas where management can be improved; 2.) To verify and document that IPM is practiced on the farm; 3.) As an educational tool which describes the scope and complexity of IPM to farmers, government officials, community groups and the general public. Definitions The followings terms are used in calculating points in the IPM guidelines: Category or Grand Total Practice Points Refers to the sum of all possible practice points described within a category or individual crop guideline. For example, if a grower used every practice in the guideline, all points would apply. Adjusted Category or Grand Total Practice Points Refers to the sum of all practice points appropriate for the crop, within a category or guideline. Because some practices may not apply to the site being assessed, the points associated with that practice may be deducted from the Total Practice Points. Such practices are marked with an asterisk (*) within each guideline. Bonus Points Refers to points associated with practices which are of potential value to an IPM system, and are worthy of trial, but are experimental or require exceptional effort. Point values associated with these practices do not contribute to the Total Practice Points but, if the practice is completed, the points are added when calculating Grand Total Practice Points. Bonus points are labeled as such within the guidelines. Calculating IPM Practice Points To use the IPM Guidelines to evaluate your IPM program, first determine what practices are potentially applicable on your crop. Practices marked with asterisk (*) may not be applicable on all farms. Whether a practice is applicable or not is based on the biology of the pest or crop. For example, the use of predators for biological control of spider mites depends on the presence of spider mites and their potential to be economically damaging: if spider mites do not occur on a site, release of predators is not appropriate. Sum the points for applicable practices in order to determine the Adjusted Grand Total Practice Points. This represents your IPM plan for the growing season. Either during the growing season or at its end, check which practices were actually completed. Partial completion of a practice merits partial point credit. For example, if only half of a corn crop was assessed for corn borers, only half of the possible points are earned. Sum the points within each category, then sum all points from each category to determine Total IPM Practice Points. Determine the percent of IPM adoption in your crop by dividing the Total IPM Practice Points by the Adjusted Grand Total Practice Points. If your percent of IPM adoption is 67% or more, your level of IPM adoption is HIGH. Adoption between 33% and 66% is MODERATE. Adoption below 33% is LOW. Growers who use the guidelines over several years to evaluate their IPM programs tend to adopt more practices and increase their level of IPM adoption. Using IPM Guidelines for IPM Certification The Massachusetts IPM Guidelines have been used to verify IPM use by the USDA Farm Service Agency in Massachusetts since 1990, and by the Partners with Nature IPM certification program since 1993. For certification in the Partners with Nature program, a crop must be grown using a minimum of 70% of the Adjusted Total Practice Points. Points must be earned in each category. Partial credit can be earned for a given practice by either partial completion of the practice or completion of the practice on a fraction of the crop. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn addition to the Massachusetts farmers who contributed their ideas
and tested these practices on their farms, the following people contributed
their expertise toward the development of these guidelines.
Selected IPM Articles: |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
