Integrated Pest Management in the Transgenic Era

IPM in the Transgenic Era

This paper will discuss the tools and practicality of insect management on non-Bt cotton. In addition, it will discuss the shift in IPM systems that has occurred since transgenic crops became available. Over time, field-specific IPM tactics – field scouting, use of economic thresholds, and foliar treatments – have been in decline. They have been replaced by preventative tactics – seed treatments, planting of pest resistant cultivars, etc. – used on a high percentage of individual fields. This use pattern has had areawide impacts, and the resulting IPM systems are increasingly preventative and areawide in nature. The shift from field-specific IPM to preventative, areawide approaches has resulted in a reduced infrastructure for field-specific IPM. There are now fewer consultants, fewer aerial applicators, fewer ground applicators and fewer IPM-trained county agents and extension specialists. Colleges and universities have de-emphasized their educational programs for field-specific IPM and many no longer have faculty with experience in field-specific IPM. Disruption of the preventative, areawide systems currently in place –resistance, changes in regulations or other factors - would likely result in widespread preventative foliar treatments, high pest management costs and significant environmental damage. Because of the time that would be required to train scouts and applicators, this situation could not be reversed quickly. Growers have crossed the bridge into the transgenic era. The bridge back to field specific IPM tactics has fallen into disrepair. Re-building it and crossing back over to systems heavily dependent on field-specific tactics would be costly, and slow. The availability of public sector infrastructure – Research and Extension – to aid growers in negotiating future change is, therefore, as or more important than ever.