IPM Packages for Vegetable Crops in Ecuador and Honduras

IPM research in Honduras and Ecuador has led to several promising technologies for the management of pests and diseases in solanaceous and cucurbit crops. Challenges in assembling individual technologies into IPM packages are numerous. Practices are pest-specific, and spatial variation in pest severities may dictate that certain practices are needed while others are not. Pests adapt, and IPM, particularly biological controls, may have limited shelf life. Packages have additional outreach requirements; while individual practices may be disseminated with simple messages, packages require substantial training. This paper discusses these issues and outlines progress toward development of IPM packages in the two countries.