Integrated pest management under protected cultivation: A review

Abstract

Insect pests are the prime threats to production and productivity of greenhouse crops worldwide. Presence of warm, humid conditions and abundant food under protected structures provide a stable environment and habitat for pest development. Often, the natural enemies that keep pests under control outside are lacking under protected environment. For these reasons, pest situations often become alarming in the indoor environment than outdoors. The damage inflicted by arthropod pests on greenhouse crops varies from pest to pest and season to season. The level of damage that can be tolerated is greatly dependent on the type of crop as well. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a systematic approach to manage insect-pests that combines a range of techniques and strategies to either reduce pest populations or decrease their economic impact. It is a site-specific strategy for managing pests that relies on correct pest identification and understanding the pest biology. With a long-term perspective it is easier to visualize that an investment in IPM can surely pay for itself in a higher-quality crop and a cleaner environment in greenhouse crop production.