IPM -We've Come A Long Way

Every now and then, I take a critical backwards look at my life and ponder some of its great mysteries (most of which have focused on how I survived my teenage years). Such retrospectives help in trying bring the world of my now teenage children into some perspective, when I realize that they are probably a lot more sensible and more likely to survive than I ever was (not that it makes parenting any easier). Thinking back also brings to mind some parallel growing pains with pest management in the greenhouse industry. Whenever I start to doubt that we are making progress, a quick recap of the last 15-20 years provides great comfort.

Pest management now is very different from what it was when I first started working with the industry 17 years ago. At that time, the norm was regular pesticide applications using broad spectrum pesticides as a preventative measure to protect the crop against common pests such as aphids and mites. This usually involved weekly applications, although it was not uncommon for growers to spray twice weekly during summer. The sight of yellow sticky cards decorating the crop was unknown, and certainly any structured pest and disease monitoring program was not even considered. Biological control was still a novelty that may have had some value in the greenhouse vegetable industry, but most growers (and many researchers for that matter) viewed it as having little use in ornamentals.

Fast forward to 2005. Many of the pesticides used in the mid-late 1980's are no longer with us. For those with long memories, think back to Afugan, Diazinon, Lesan, Lindane, Manzate, Metasystox, Parathion, Pentac, Plictran, Sulfotep, Temik and Zineb. They have been replaced by products much safer to workers, the environment and non-target organisms, and much more specific in terms of the pests they control. Products such as Avid, Citation, Confirm, Dimilin, Dyno-Mite, Endeavor, Enstar II, Floramite, Intercept, Tristar, Vectobac, Aliette, Compass, Decree, Mycostop, Nova, Phyton 27, RootShield, Bonzi, Fascination and Sumagic (even their names sound more comforting) were for the most part unknown when I started with OMAFRA. On top of that, growers are using pesticides much more strategically. Pesticide use has probably been reduced by greater than 50% over that period of time. Rotation of pesticide families to manage resistance is (wherever possible) practised by most growers.

Other aspects of pest management have changed as well. Pest and disease monitoring is now an accepted crop production practice with the majority of year-round growers having routine monitoring programs in place. In many facilities, employees scout crops and keep monitoring records. In others, IPM consultants are used to monitor crops, providing the grower with weekly records of pest and disease populations, and in some cases pest management recommendations.

Biological control has changed from a fringe aspect of pest control to a much more mainstream alternative, with surveys estimating that 25-30% of growers currently use some form of biocontrol. Not only are growers introducing natural enemies in large numbers, but they are also more aware of what beneficials are coming in naturally from outside and taking steps to nurture those populations through reduced pesticide use. Growers have also taken to other control strategies:

• It is not uncommon to find greenhouses festooned with large quantities of yellow sticky tape along the lengths of each bed or bench for mass trapping of large numbers of flying insects
  
• A number of growers have screened vents to prevent movement of flying insects into the greenhouse from outside
  
• Innovative methods such as the use of trap plants are being investigated by some growers and consultants
  
• There is a greater awareness of the role of basic IPM strategies in an overall pest management program. The use of good sanitation programs and environmental controls is common for diseases such as powdery mildew and Botrytis

The change in growers' thinking towards IPM is taking place globally, and conferences I attend outside of Ontario and Canada show the same trends. The reasons for the change are many. The greenhouse industry is interconnected globally through the similarity of the production systems, through family and personal ties, and through business relationships (e.g. buying and selling of plant material). Likewise, there is a community of research and extension workers across the world that is equally interconnected and is working with local growers to promote IPM. Information on IPM and biocontrol finds its way into books, on the internet, and onto the speaker programs at grower conferences everywhere. Even if not deliberately seeking out information, growers cannot help but be influenced by the huge volumes of information they are confronted with, whether it is talking to other growers, reading trade magazines or surfing the net.

Remembering the last 17 years, makes it clear what a huge leap in progress we have made during that time. Going back 35 years, makes me realize that everyone matures at some stage in their life (even though my kids still have doubts about me).