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Annual Reports
2000—Letter from the Director, Frank Zalom
IPM programs are sometimes described as developing along a continuum from
adoption of basic scouting activities to biointensive programs that consider
the whole ecosystem in every decision. The IPM Continuum concept is useful
because it emphasizes IPM’s sustainable, ecologically-based goal
while acknowledging the limitations of both the current research base
and the economic/sociological challenges that preclude that goal from
being reached.
The IPM Continuum places professional scouting and use of available
action thresholds at its minimum level. The increased knowledge of crop
status, pests, and beneficial organisms obtained from monitoring supports
better informed pesticide treatment and, more importantly, no treatment
decisions. While this specific knowledge is fundamental to IPM systems,
the vision for IPM is to provide tools that will allow growers and pest
managers to transition from continued reliance on broad-spectrum pesticide
inputs to biologically-based management systems, which represent the highest
level of the IPM Continuum. These ecologically-based IPM systems would
incorporate preventative nonchemical horticultural or agronomic practices
and biologically-based IPM tactics such as host plant resistance, pheromone
mating disruption, microbial controls and biological controls. "Reduced-risk"
pesticides—those that present less risk to human health and the environment
than most traditional pesticides—would be used sparingly and only
when other options are not available, and higher risk pesticides would
be eliminated.
Many growers and pest managers now utilize scouting and available decision
rules on a number of California's crops. For instance, a recent USDA National
Agricultural Statistics Service grower survey reported that several largely
California-grown crops rated among the highest of any crops nationally
in use of monitoring and thresholds; these include grapes (54%), oranges
(64%), almonds (54%), and pistachios (85%). Fewer growers have begun to
utilize cultural or biological options, but there is clearly a desire
to do so if the options are economical and effective. The challenge will
be to develop IPM-compatible strategies and tactics that will enable California
to continue its transition towards the goal of sound, ecologically-based
IPM systems.
Researching and extending the tools and information necessary to help
California growers and pest managers move further along the Continuum
are the highest priorities of the UC Statewide IPM Program. Read this
report to see some highlights of these activities as we mark our 20th
Anniversary in the year 2000.
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