Demonstrating an integrated pest management strategy in autumnsown wheat to arable farmers

Abstract

Six crops of autumnsown wheat managed under integrated pest management (IPM) were compared to six adjacent crops grown under the participating farmers current pest management practices in demonstration trials in Canterbury during the 200809 and 200910 seasons Farmer training with a focus on monitoring and beneficial predator identification was carried out The presence and abundance of key pests and diseases (slugs aphids yellow dwarf virus (YDV)) and beneficial predators was determined Carabid beetles and other beneficial insects capable of contributing to pest control were present in the arable cropping systems There was an increasing trend in the number of beneficial organisms a reduction in pests and a 50 reduction in the number of insecticides applied in the IPM managed crops There were negligible YDV and crop yield differences between the two approaches IPM adoption at these farms was very high after these participatory trials