2017 ASHS Annual Conference

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concept was developed by pest scientists in response to economic, environmental, and societal issues facing growers. The application of IPM concepts to horticultural crops has been particularly useful to facilitate sustainable production when presented with extrinsic challenges that arise from the presence of insect pests. Changing consumer preferences, new governmental regulations, limited pesticide availability and resistance development, and invasive species introductions are among challenges to horticultural crop production that have been mitigated with an IPM approach. Observations and experiences demonstrate that effective IPM benefits from a transdisciplinary approach that places the plant as the unifier of knowledge.