Integrated Pest Management with Reference to INM

Abstract

Modern agriculture is highly input intensive and greatly dependent on chemical pesticides for the control of insect pests, diseases and nematodes. Indiscriminate and excessive use of pesticides in agriculture has played havoc with agro-ecosystem by polluting water and food chains and causing emergence of pesticide resistance both in target and non-target pests. INM techniques recognize the importance of biological control used against noxious nematodes. This approach being knowledge based has great flexibility and contributes admirably to the preservation of ecosystem and sustainable agriculture. In the context of changing cropping pattern and the environmental degradation, strategies are needed to minimize present use of organic inputs hence, INM assumed is a part of ecosystem especially artificial ecosystem. However, now a days INM has evolved more as a holistic approach in crop protection.