Hello everyone, I would say you are really amazing for always coming here and digest something from this blog.
Okay, for some time now, pesticides has been the topic under discussion. Actually, we should not toy with our health, so we must give total attention to what ever it takes to maintain a good health. Ingesting pesticides alongside food or drinking more than permissible limit of it from water should be highly prevented.
In my last and penultimate post, I discussed about the photocatalytic degradation of pesticides and the conditions that influence rate of the degradation. The Photocatalytic degradation can be placed under the Abiotic transformation of the pesticides whereby the pollutants (pesticides) is degraded by reactive species generated from the catalyst through the absorbtion of photon.
However, I think we should have a complete U-turn, the question to be asked is this, why should we spend so much on pesticides to control pests and still be thinking of the best means to remove the residue from our environment considering the danger it exposed the ecosystem to.
Lasting solution is not far fetched, and I think it is high time we talk about the alternative means of dealing with pest. You see, since there is no human on earth who doesn't depends on agricultural product to be alive, we can not then play or toy with food, and at the same time, food free of pesticides residue should be placed on the table.
Integrated Pest Management might be the solution to this problem after all. Let us briefly take a look at what it means. Integrated Pest Management is a means whereby pest is completely kept away from the farm. Not that you really kill the pest, but you employed some means that seems to be unwelcoming to the Intruders to the farmland. For instance, you can grow plants that you know are not susceptible to attack by pest in your locality.
Integrated Pest Management required crop growers to be fully informed with all necessary information that will help them to know the type of crop to cultivate and the best time to do so.
Visibility Studies on the type of pest in a particular area will help a farmer economically wise as he would simply not cultivate crop for ravenous pest to consume.
The question I will ask a farmer is this: "why will you cultivate a crop that you will eventually not harvest? Or I might rather put it this way; Why will you as a farmer invest so much on chemical means of controlling pest when you can simply avoid the pest from eating your produce?. I guess some farmers may not have a clue to what I mean. So I think the best thing to do is to let them know about several cultural method of controlling pest. Let's get to business.
Oops before we go far, let's check something very crucial here
Some Culture diets lies in the insects you want to kill.
The Cultural method of controlling pest is one of the means that poss no harm to the environment. Just that adequate knowledge is required. In case ,if you don't know, some insects you refer to as pest are actually source of diet to some group of people, so destroying such insects or bug is as good as destroying some people's food. Take for instance, if you travel to some part of Ghana in West Africa, terminate is considered as a good protein, oils and fat source. Also if you find your way to, Thailand, never try to impress them by killing their grasshopper or Crickets, because those insects with some other worms are parts of there cuisine. The Chinese will never join hands with you to kill their cockroaches because it's part of their delicacy.
So considering the above and been armed with the knowledge that human relationship with different insects and organisms differ all over the world, you will then agree with me to rather look for alternative means of controlling Pest.
What are Cultural method of controlling pest?
Cultural method are aimed not at destroying pest population,but at limiting plant exposure to what can bring infection to it. The primary goal is to ensure that pest population is preserved while plant population too is not infected.
Let's start checking each of the methods
Have the soil well prepared: When the soil is well prepared, there is one hundred percent assurance that healthy crop will grow on it.
A well prepared soil is relative to a healthy soil. When the soil is highly composed of humus (soil rich in organic matter such as decomposed leaves and other matters), such soil homes good number of microflora ( organisms important for transformation of several organic matter in the soil, such as algae, bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi). The microflora in the soil render useless the microfaunas (nematodes and protozoans) which are considered as treat to plant.
Using local varieties of seeds
In farming, if local or traditional plant seeds are used, it can be assured that the crop will stand against opposing environmental condition , the reason being that such seed are local to the environment and therefore could have high resistance against pest,
and could also remain unaffected by harsh or unfavorable environmental conditions. Such indigenous seed also require little or no fertilizer because they require less supply of external nutrients as such seeds are better in organic farming practice. Plant of such seeds are hardly affected by pest in comparison with imported seeds that may be completely new to the environment.
Using mesh screen is also another means of controlling pest.
This method of covering young plants with wire mesh can be refered to as multiple advantageous practice. Apart from protecting the young plant which are naturally susceptible to insects attacks, the protective net can also assist to improve the growth of the planted crop because it function in diffusing sunlight.
Also, the nets protect the young plant when it is raining because it limits the direct impact of the rain there by limiting the damages on plants and also control soil erosion.
50- Mesh screen are good barrier against silver leaf whitefly and other insects which feast on tomatoes leaf.
The density of some of these nets helps to keep some insects from entering through them. In some quarters like in Israel,
50-mesh density been reportedly use is still been penetrated by some very small insects.
However, Polyethylene films with Ultraviolet absorbing capacity can protect crops from insects and some other diseases related to virus. This type of mesh helps to screened out Ultraviolet portion of the light spectrum. This practice helps to reduce infestation of crops that is grown under this condition from some insects such as leafminers, whiteflies and aphids.
Crops grown under this condition can hardly be infected by it's regular pest. The elimination of the ultraviolet light range of the white light affects the vision of insects that depends on it wholly for their vision to feast on the crop.
Another point to note is the use of Natural insects predators.
This is a simple method whereby you can control pest in your garden by simply introducing known pest predator into the farm. You can achieve this by planting several flowering plants for example those that belongs to Umbelliferae family, and Celery. These will attracts insects predators into the garden and there get rid of such pest in large quantities.
SUMMARY
Integrated Pest Management is a means whereby pest is completely kept away from the farm. Pest are not really killed , but some conditions that are not favourable to the Intruders to the farmland are employed.
Human relationship with different insects and organisms differ all over the world.
Cultural method are aimed not at destroying pest population,but at limiting plant exposure to what can bring infection to it. The primary goal is to ensure that pest population is preserved while plant population too is not infected.
When the soil is well prepared, there is one hundred percent assurance that healthy crop will grow on it.
Using local varieties seeds In farming, if local or traditional plant seeds are used, it can be assured that the crop will stand against opposing environmental condition.
Using mesh screen. Protect young cultivated crops against pest.
Use of Natural insects predators.
This is a simple method whereby you can control pest in your garden by simply introducing the known pest predator into the farm.
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