Pesticide Decision Making

"A report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from the Committee on Pesticide Decision Making, Commission on Natural Resources, National Research Council."--T.p.

The use of pesticides to control agricultural pests both benefits farm production and imposes health and environmental costs on producers and society. This title, first published in 1988, includes an application of the author’s methodology to tomato production, in which Antle illuminates the roles that alternative methods of pest management play in producer welfare. He also develops a more general empirical framework for studying producer welfare under uncertainty – a framework in which production risk, sequential decision making, and attitudes toward risk are integrated. This title will be of interest to students of environmental studies.

This book covers the theoretical and practical aspects of pest population components, explaining the probable reasons for pest density fluctuations and outbreaks in agricultural or other ecosystems. Agricultural pest management is a complex task that involves dealing with a variety of pests, including insects, diseases, and weeds. Decision systems can help farmers navigate this complexity by providing structured approaches to identify, monitor, and control pests. By making informed decisions based on data and models, farmers can reduce unnecessary pesticide applications, minimizing environmental impact and saving costs. This book aids in predicting pest outbreaks using population growth parameters and estimating economic crop losses through critical thresholds, illustrated with simple case studies. Additionally, the book covers image processing, remote sensing monitoring, and other novel methods for monitoring and quickly forecasting pest population outbreaks to develop integrated pest management (IPM) programs. The book is valuable for agricultural and entomological students (graduates and postgraduates), researchers, as well as pest managers and farmers.

Phylosophy, concepts and techniques. Descriptive techniques. Decision analysis techniques. Workshop techniques. Survey and knowledge acquisition techniques. Introduction to pest models. Analytical models. Simulation models. Rule-based models. Modelling with spreadsheets. Experst systems. Pest management games. Database systems. Geographic information systems. Information retrieval for pest management. Decision tools for biological control. Extension techniques for pest management.

There is growing concern among scientists, farmers and the general public that pesticides are being applied ever more widely but with less and less discretion. This book brings together a range of experts to discuss how crop protection chemicals can be used more rationally, so as to maximise benefits in yield and quality while minimising environmental and economic costs. The book is based on the ninth Long Ashton Symposium and is organised into four sections. The first, environment, examines to what extent current pesticide use is affecting the environment and human welfare, and what changes in practice are justified. The second, application, assesses progress in performance and safety in the use of pesticides, while the next section, resistance, looks at problems and shortcomings arising from the appearance of resistant strains of pests, and considers strategies for surmounting these difficulties. The final section, forecast and pest management, asks whether existing methods of assessing risks are acceptable and seeks ways of rending decision making in crop protection more rational.