As of Tuesday, Oct. 7, the drought monitor report indicates little change from last week. The state is at 81% totally out of dry conditions. The only abnormally dry, moderate drought parts of Kansas are North Central along the Nebraska and Eastern Kansas along the Missouri Border which are worsening a tad. The six to 10-day outlook (Oct. 14-18) indicates a 70-80% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and a 33-40% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. The eight- to 14-day outlook (Oct. 16-22) indicates a 50-60% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and 33-40% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. Hopefully the precipitation happens as these warm temperatures while great for harvest are not for keeping soil moisture for winter wheat. These conditions should allow for good tiller and root system establishment.
Lately, the agriculture extension agents for our Cottonwood District have been featuring problem weeds in crop fields and pasture. These articles describe the weed, its growth and reproductive characteristics, and control options. Most of us, producers and nonproducers alike, think of chemical control. While certainly an important tool in the pest control arsenal, good pest control (insects, diseases, and weeds) practiced by good producers is more complicated. The term is Integrated Pest Management or IPM. So, what is IPM?
After World War II, there emerged a promising new technology for pest control, initially for insect control. During WWII, DDT was developed primarily for mosquito control for troops fighting in the South Pacific as troop incapacitation from malaria were as significant as losses from combat. And later in the war for typhus. Immediately after the war, its use was promoted for agricultural and public use. The promise was for a world free of insect pests and the damage/illnesses they spread. Atrazine (triazine based herbicides, one of the first herbicides was developed by Geigy Labs. The first synthetic fungicides date back to the 1930s. Initially, the promise was for a pest free world made possible through chemistry. Back then Dupont’s motto was “Better living through chemistry.” For DDT by the late 1950s/early 1960s and Atrazine by the end of the 1960s, problems were apparent. From the loss of beneficial insects to pest resistance to the chemistries combined with health concerns for people; a creeping awareness led to IPM. It was apparent that environmental damage and human health, combined with decreased effectiveness caused researchers to reevaluate pest control.
The result over the last 50 years is the continuing evolution of Integrated Pest Management. It looks at all aspects of pest management in the environment and has overall shifted from pest elimination to pest management to acceptable levels. It includes pesticides as part of control measures but seeks to understand the environment, the particular ecology of agricultural production, and seeks to work within it.
Chemical pesticide research has focused on environmentally friendlier, safer pesticides.
Next week, what exactly is IPM?
Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
