Have you ever heard of the “fire triangle” where the three sides equal fuel, spark, and oxygen? The "CropWalk IPM Triangle" below is similar!
You need all three of these components for a pest or pathogen outbreak: (1) the pest or pathogen must be present, (2) the environment must be suitable, and (3) there must be a suitable host plant.
Genetic control can ensure you don’t have an ideal host for primary pest or pathogen pressures by utilizing host-plant resistance. Cultural and physical can prevent pests and pathogens from entering or moving around. An inhospitable environment can be created by the presence of Biological Control Agents (biological control), strong sanitation protocols (cultural control), healthy plants (cultural control), or more.
The levels inside the CropWalk IPM triangle reflect the stages of the IPM cycle:
1. prevent - 2. scout - 3. respond (if needed) - 4. repeat
In the triangle, the word “resistance” on the “act” level refers to insecticide resistance, which describes the decreased susceptibility of a pest population to a pesticide that was previously effective at controlling the pest. There’s more to it than this, but we aim to simplify things.
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