What Is IPM?

As defined in the National IPM Roadmap (PDF), Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a long-standing, science-based, decision-making process that identifies and reduces risks from pests and pest management related strategies. It coordinates the use of pest biology, environmental information, and available technology to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means, while posing the least possible risk to people, property, resources, and the environment. IPM provides an effective strategy for managing pests in all arenas from developed residential and public areas to wild lands. IPM serves as an umbrella to provide an effective, all encompassing, low-risk approach to protect resources and people from pests.

Traditionally a pest is defined as any organism that interferes with production of the crop. We generally think of pests as insects, diseases and weeds, but there are many other types including nematodes, arthropods other than insects, and vertebrates. We now also deal with pests in many non-crop situations, such as human health and comfort.

Study of the IPM concept is limited only by the student's interest and time. Information below is arranged from a very quick overview to an electronic textbook.

An IPM Primer

For a very quick overview, this is an outline of IPM definitions with a framework describing a generalized IPM program.

Pennsylvania IPM Basics

Visit the Pennsylvania IPM site for a slightly more detailed discussion. You can get through this in about 20 minutes. Chapters include History of IPM; Principles of IPM; Importance of IPM; Overview of IPM (article); IPM Tactics; TEN Commandments of IPM; and Food Labeling with IPM.

IPM Roadmap

University of Maryland has created an excellent site to access the National IPM Roadmap.

Electronic IPM Textbook

Radcliffe's IPM World Textbook hosted by the University of Minnesota is for students who can devote considerable time and energy. In fact, it is designed to support a college-level course.

As of April 5, 2004, the textbook lists 66 chapters under these headings:

• Biological Control: Theory and Application
• Control Tactics (Methodologies)
• Computer Applications
• Crop and Commodity Pest Management
• Ecology and Population Sampling
• Host Plant Resistance
• IPM: Policy and Implementation
• Pesticides: Chemistries/Pesticide Resistance
• Medical and Veterinary
• Urban and Stored-product