CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN IPM THEORY AND PRACTICE

Conflicting opinions regarding the progress of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) since its inception have prompted the need to review IPM trends and consider future directions of the concept. The major issues that have shaped agricultural policy in the United States help to explain IPM development and its present status. These issues are grouped as environmental issues, sustainable agriculture issues, farm economic issues, and ecological blacklash issues. Based on the original IPM paradigm, a gap between theory and practice has occurred, with a shift away from multipletactic programs and toward single-tactic, pesticide based programs. An alternative view of IPM is presented that emphasizes the use of nonpesticidal preventive tactics as a first line of defense against pests, followed by the use of therapeutics (curatives) only when preventives fail. The steps required to develop an integrated management program are presented, along with a discussion of closing the gap between IPM theory and practice.