A Natural Approach To Healthier Crops

Integrated pest management has become an increasingly popular means of protecting crops against damage from pests such as weeds and insects, and is being driven by, among other factors, the growing resistance to a purely chemical approach to crop protection. Annelie Coleman spoke to several experts to find out more.

- Annelie Coleman

FAST FACTS

The aim of an integrated pest management system is to minimise the use of chemicals and maximise plant health and environmental biodiversity.

Intercropping is a valuable tool in the protection of crops.

Farmers are increasingly expected to implement sustainable farming practices that will maximise yields, achieve resource efficiency, and preserve natural resources.

In a well-functioning ecosystem, that which affects one organism in a system will affect all other organisms. Continuous monocropping, in contrast, eventually leads to the removal of the components of a healthy ecosystem, according to Dr Astrid Jankielsohn, senior researcher in entomology at the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) Small Grains Institute in Bethlehem.

She says that this is particularly evident in the light of climate change. Many insect species are able to survive adverse conditions and are highly adaptable to change. This enables them to increase their populations when conditions become suitable. When there is no balance, however, such as in a monocropping system, insect pests can become a serious problem. This could be because beneficial predator insects that keep pest populations under the damage threshold are missing from the agricultural system.