Pests farm crops

HCH, sometimes misleadingly termed benzene hexachloride (BHC), exists in a number of different isomeric forms of which the gamma isomer has valuable insecticidal properties. These were discovered during the 1940s, and HCH came to be widely used as an insecticide to control crop pests and certain ectoparasites of farm animals after the Second World War. Crude technical BHC, a mixture of isomers, was the first form of HCH to be marketed. In time, it was largely replaced by a refined product called lindane, containing 99% or more of the insecticidal gamma isomer. 

Insect pests of farm crops are difficult to control when necessary activities such as tillage weeding irrigation and harvesting increase the pest population and decrease the numbers of its natural enemies. 

Key words pests of farm crops, symptoms of pest damage, pest life-cycles, pest identification, methods of pest control. 

Many insects are predators of crop pests. For example a hoverfly larva can eat 400 aphids in its life time. Some insecticide treatments are not very specific so can affect the beneficial insects as well as the pests. Beneficial insects can be encouraged on the farm by ensuring that there are suitable diverse habitats as encouraged by many of the options available in the current enviromnental stewardship schemes. 

Bayer CropScience, Pest Spotter, A Guide to Common Pests of Farm Crops, Bayer CropScience, 2011. 

Sustainable Agriculture. The third factor that will influence the future of pesticide sales is the emphasis on sustainable agriculture systems that rely on more natural pest control methods and reduced pesticide usage. These are integrated systems that requke nutrients and crop protection chemicals from on-farm natural sources and cultural methods. Many current sustainable farms are site-specific systems that may depend on the soils in a... 

Performance trials are conducted to determine the use pattern required for effective pesticide performance. Much effort goes into determining the minimum effective rate. Usually, about 30 trials are required per major pest. Initial performance testing is usually conducted on company research farms. For crops and pests that cannot be handled internally, contractors are used. The differences between residue and performance trials create difficulties in designing an electronic system that can handle both smdy types well. 

Owing to the prohibition of chemosynthetic pesticides under organic farming standards, there is a greatly reduced availability of intervention/treatment-based methods for disease and pest control in organic fruit production systems. The efficacy of the permitted biological control, extract or mineral element (e.g. S and Cu)-based crop protection products is also usually lower than of chemosynthetic pesticides. Permitted plant protection products show efficacies of between 60 and 80% while chemosynthetic fungicides and pesticides often have efficacy levels >95% (Tamm et al., 2004). 

Many grasses are known to act as reservoirs and sources of primary C. purpurea inoculum (Hoffmann and Schmutterer, 1983 Agrios, 1997). Since beetle banks and non-crop field margins are commonly used in organic farming to increase biodiversity, it is possible that these areas may also become sources of Claviceps inoculum. The goal for farmers must be to achieve a balance between the benefits of on-farm biodiversity (e.g. improved habitat for pest predators) and the risk of increased infection by fungi such as Claviceps. 

Pesticides are considered a necessary evil however, it has been estimated that without their use food expenditure for western families would more than double (Zilberman et al. 1991) and, much worse, food shortage would be more acute in many third world countries about 40% crop production would be lost, according to FAO. Pest and pesticide control is probably the sector where a really integrated view of farm management is most required certainly, pest treatments by calendar as largely in use till a few years ago and still in use today here and there are unsustainable. The principles of targeting interventions according to real need as advocated... 

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