IPM Extension Entomologist University of California Davis, California
California is the pioneer in inventing and adopting the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concept in its $50 billion value crops. Since its invention, IPM has been adopted in pretty much all commercial crops in California and throughout the world. In California, although the initiation of IPM has started from the alfalfa forage crop, the concept has been in routine practice to its high value tree nuts – almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, tree crops, and many fields and vegetable crops. Furthermore, IPM encourages the invention and adoption of newer pest management tools such as mating disruption, sterile insect techniques, and intelligent pest monitoring techniques, making the pest management program safer, effective, and efficient, leading to sustainable crop production systems. In this presentation, the speaker will highlight some milestones of IPM adoption in California’s valuable crops and the economic and environmental benefits of this concept.
