Plant Pest Management
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Plant Pest Management December 2003 Prepared By Reeves Petroff Pesticide Education Specialist Montana Pesticide Education & Safety Program Preface This manual expands upon the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pesticide Applicator Handbook and provides Bureau of Land Management (BLM) personnel with additional information about the management of major insect, weed, diseases and vertebrate plant pests. Specific control methods are discussed when applicable. Chemical trade names have been used for purposes of simplification, however, no endorsement of specific products is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products or equipment that is not mentioned. Introduction Classification of Living Organisms In the 1750's scientist Carl Linnaeus suggested a method of naming things that could be used by scientists all over the world. He introduced binomial nomenclature, which means two names, both in Latin, and that follow a specific format. The first name identifies the genus and the second the species, such as Homo sapien. The science of naming things is called taxonomy. The process of ordering organisms into groups based on common characteristics and relationships is known as classification. The process of placing individuals into these groups is known as identification. Most factors used in classification are structural but biochemical factors (DNA) are also being used. It is important to know why certain pests are placed into groups based on certain features. For example, some insecticides only work on certain groups of insects. An insecticide that control insects with chewing mouthparts (grasshoppers) may not control insects with piercing or sucking mouthparts (aphids). All the living things are divided into a series of sets and subsets depending on how closely they are related. Kingdoms All living things are first divided into 5 kingdoms - Plants, Animals, Fungi, Protista (protozoa), and bacteria. These last two are so small you need a microscope to see them. Phylum and Divisions All organisms within a kingdom are then divided into groups based on common characteristics. The animal kingdom is subdivided into phyla (pl.), or phylum (s.), while most botanist divide the plant kingdom into divisions. One phylum in the animal kingdom is the Arthropoda that contains the insects. In the plant Kingdom, flowering plants are found in the division Anthophyta Class Phyla (and divisions) are very broad classifications that are further broken down into smaller units called classes. The division Anthophyta (flowering plants) contains two classes; the monocots and the dicots. Within the phylum Arthropoda, there is the class Insecta or insects. The class Arachnida contains the spiders, mites, ticks and scorpions. Orders Classes are further subdivided into Orders. The Class insecta is divided into 29 orders while orders are not used much in plant taxonomy. Families Orders are then divided into families. For example, within the order Lepidoptera (the butterflies) there are about 90 families. The order Coleoptera (beetles) contains the weevil family (curculionidae). The sunflower family (Compositae or Asteraceae) contains about 20,000 species, a majority of which are weeds. Scientific Name A scientific name is composed of two Latin names: a generic name and a specific name. The generic name is the name of the genus (genera, pl.), or group of closely related and ecologically similar species. The specific name identifies the species with the genus. Most animals and plants are known only by their genus and species names, i.e. spotted knapweed is Centaurea maculosa. Long standing tradition and international regulations state that: 1. Both names must be in Latin or at least Latinized (using phrases or words from Latin). 2. Both are to be written in italics or underlined if they cannot be italicized. 3. The first name (genus) is always capitalized and the second name (species) is generally never capitalized. 2 Pests and Pest Management A pest can be defined as an organism that causes, or is perceived to cause, or is likely to cause economic or aesthetic damage to humans or their property. Examples include exotic weeds that displace native vegetation, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) that carry the deadly hantavirus, and gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar) that defoliate oaks (Quercus spp). Pests can be classified as key pests, occasional pests or secondary pests. Key Pests Occasional Pests Secondary Pests Cause major damage on a regular Become intolerable on an irregular Occur as a result of actions taken basis. basis. Often as a result of climate to control a key pest. environmental influences, or Example: human activity. Example: An 80% infestation of leafy Spurge Cheatgrass establishment in areas can reduce livestock carrying Example: that have been sprayed for spotted capacity by 100%. Dry conditions can cause seed bugs knapweed. to move from rangeland to areas of Grasshoppers consume up 25 higher moisture like lawns, flower Ticks and fleas that plague people percent of the available forage in beds, swimming pools and houses. after their natural hosts have been the western United States annually. eliminated. Pest management is the science of preventing, suppressing, or eradicating pests that are causing a problem. Pest management practices are often described according to the approaches used to deal with a pest problem. These approaches include: (1) prevention, (2) suppression of already existing pest populations, or (3) eradication of small pest populations. Practices within the pest management framework include: (1) pesticide use, (2) cultural and mechanical control, (3) biological control, and (4) legal procedures designed to prevent or limit pest populations. Prevention – Prevention is action that is taken to prevent the occurrence of a significant pest problem. The prevention approach may include either chemical or non-chemical methods. Planting weed- and disease-free seed and growing varieties of plants that resist diseases, insects or weeds is just one method of prevention. Other control options include using cultural methods to prevent weedy plants from seeding or choosing planting and harvesting times that minimize pest problems. Other prevention methods include exclusion which is the act of preventing pests from entering a target area. Exclusion includes the use of fences to prevent weed-seed- carrying wild or domestic animals from entering non-weed infested areas. Suppression – Common pest control methods suppress pest populations but usually do not eliminate them. These methods reduce pest numbers below an economic injury threshold or to a tolerable level. Suppression sometimes lowers pest numbers so that natural enemies are able to maintain control. Suppression is the goal of most pesticide applications used to manage weeds, insects and diseases. Post emergence application of herbicides to reduce emerging weed populations is regarded as suppression. Spraying mature spotted knapweed plants with 2,4-D may not kill the mature plants but it will limit seed production and possibly kill younger more susceptible plants. The use of chemical methods is generally associated with suppression practices, but non-chemical methods may also be employed to suppress a pest problem. Eradication - When a pest problem must be totally eliminated from a designated area, the approach is termed eradication. If a new pest such as the Mediterranean fruit fly is detected in a fruit growing area, regulatory agencies may implement widespread actions to totally eliminate the pest problem before it becomes established to a point that it can no longer be eradicated. Over larger areas, eradication is a radical approach to a pest problem. Eradication can be very expensive and often has limited success. In general, eradication does not apply to elimination of an established pest population spread over a large area. Which pest control strategy you choose depends on the nature of the pest, the environment of the pest, and economic considerations. Combining prevention and suppression techniques usually enhances a pesticide management program. Objective might differ, however, for the same pest in different situations. Eradication of spotted knapweed in most of western Montana is not feasible where eradication in parts of eastern Montana where the weed is not prevalent is justifiable. 3 Establishing A Pest Management Program To begin a viable pest management program you must: 1. Know what control methods are available and acceptable for use. 2. Evaluate the benefits and risks or each method. 3. Select methods that are most effective and least harmful to people, animals and the environment. 4. Use multiple methods whenever possible. 5. Use each method correctly. 6. Observe local, state, and federal regulations. 7. Evaluate the success of your pest management efforts. Pest Management Methods There are usually several ways to manage pests. Whenever possible, combine several compatible methods into an integrated pest management program. Pest management practices include: (1) biological, (2) chemical, (3) cultural and mechanical, and (4) legal. Biological Control - Biological control generally includes the manipulation of one biological organism to control another organism that is classified as a pest. In the web of nature, the combination of biological control techniques is extensive. Insect pests may be preyed upon or parasitized by other insects. Most insect pests are attacked by bacterial, fungal or viral pathogens. Specific weeds may be controlled by insects with specialized