Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management: A Futuristic Approach to Sustainable Agriculture

Getting good crop yield is the target of every farmer. There are two important factors which makes a very good crop yield, i.e., pest management and crop pollinator management. However, things get worse with the overuse of the chemicals especially in context of Pakistan. This overuse leads to a decline in the pollinator populations and ultimately decreases the yield of pollinator dependent crops. To address this issue, eco-friendly practices that limit pesticide use and protect insect biodiversity are getting popularity. This concept, which is now known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), combine eco-friendly strategies for pest control. This is a better concept as IPM focuses more on pest management. The concept of Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) was introduced in 2015. IPPM manages pests and pollinators at the same time, thereby improving crop yield. This approach recognizes the essential role of pollinators in seed setting and fruit formation.

IPPM offers significant advantages over conventional chemical control and traditional IPM. By decreasing the use of toxic chemicals, modifying conventional agricultural practices, increasing floral resources for nectar provision, and enhancing crop yield, IPPM aims towards a more sustainable agricultural system. For example, hoverflies serve dual roles within IPPM—they are predators in their immature state and pollinators as adults.

As reviewed by Ola Lundin and his colleagues, IPPM includes landscape-scale strategies to reduce pest damage and increase biodiversity. Restoring the natural habitats improves the population of beneficial arthropods, forming the foundation of IPPM. Crop diversity, combined with landscape management, is crucial for the success of this program. Diverse crops attract more pollinators and biological control agents and hence creates a better environment for natural pest control as well as the pollinator mediated increase in the yield.

IPPM practices such as using resistant varieties, planting diverse crops on field edges, reducing weed control, intercropping, and cover cropping all promote pollinators. Developing cropping systems with plant diversity improves the pest management and supports local pollinator populations.

Effective IPPM is also dependent on precise sampling, monitoring, and threshold systems for pest management. Accurate sampling and monitoring ensure that pest populations are managed with eco-friendly methods whenever possible. Moreover, proper sampling and monitoring of pollinators are essential, with supplementation of the pollinator population when necessary. For example, the use of managed bees for crop pollination supplements naturally existing pollinators. Honey bees, bumblebees, and solitary bees are employed regionally to enhance pollination. Establishing a pollinator economic impact level for each crop is therefore essential.

This innovative strategy involves using pollinators, especially bees, as carriers for biocontrol agents. Pollinators are loaded with pathogens that are deposited on plant pests they visit, effectively managing pest populations.

The researchers at the Institute of Plant Protection, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, have been working to promote IPPM. In this regard, the use of biopesticides, plantation of conservation strips within the agricultural landscape, supplementary honey bee pollination, identification of alternate host plants for bee conservation, exploration of natural nesting sites of native insect pollinators, and provision of artificial nesting sites as bee hotels are in progress. Moreover, now the researcher are planning to include the general public to highlight the importance of bees and other pollinators in the urban ecosystems.

Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management represents a futuristic approach towards sustainable agriculture, combining pest control and pollinator management to maximize crop yields while protecting biodiversity. This system is specifically successful in the future crop management programs, specifically in context of the climate change. By adopting IPPM practices, farmers can create a more resilient and productive agricultural system, ensuring long-term food security and environmental health.

(https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2325).

Written by:

Shafqat Saeed, Mudssar Ali, Fawad Zafar A. Khan