The purpose of this document is to consolidate current Ohio information on integrated approaches to pest management. One of the intended results is to form a general working definition (practices) of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on specific crops. Secondly, to develop a system of assessing how far along the IPM continuum growers are, and if their operation has adopted enough core practices to qualify them as IPM practitioners under these guidelines.

Growers should use this document and its six sub headings (Educational, Pre-plant, At-plant, In-season, Harvest, & Post-harvest) as a checklist of possible IPM practices. There is a point value associated with every IPM practice; the higher the number the more important the practice. Growers should only count the points of activities they perform on a crop. The goal is to accumulate 80% of the points in each of the six areas and / or 80% of the total points available, which is simply the sum of the scores from each section (comprehensive).

This document is intended to help growers identify areas in their production system that possess strong IPM qualities and also point out areas for improvement. Growers should attempt to incorporate the majority of these specific techniques into their usual production practices, especially in areas where they fall short of the 80% goal.

Major Pests of Ohio field corn - Primary concerns are insects, diseases, weeds

Insects	Diseases	Weeds
Aphids	Phytophthora root rot	Annual grasses
Alfalfa weevil	Sclerotinia crown & stem rot	Annual broadleaf weeds
Potato leafhopper	Lepto leaf spot	Perennial weeds
	Verticillium wilt	Canada thistle
	Spring black stem	Summer annual grasses
	Anthracnose	Summer annual broadleaf weeds
		Winter annual broadleaf weeds

Educational IPM Considerations

Education	Activity	Points
	Producer possesses a copy of OSU Extensions Weed Control Guide, Insect Control Guide, Disease Control Guide and Agronomy Guide.	10
	Producer attends one or more of the OSU Extension Regional Agronomy Meetings or a local county agronomy meeting.	10
	Producer receives a copy of the OSU Extension Crop Observation Reporting Network (C.O.R.N.) newletter or visits the (C.O.R.N) Website (http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~corn/agcrops.html) regularly.	10

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			24 pts Goal		30 pts

Pre-plant IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Fertility	Soil tests for nutrient analysis and pH have been taken on all fields within the past 2 years.	15
	Lime & fertilizer are applied according to soil test results and realistic yield goal of the crop.	10
	Maintain soil pH in the 6.5 to 7.0 range.	10
	Apply lime, if needed, 6 to 12 months before seeding alfalfa.	5
Equipment	Pesticide application equipment is calibrated at the beginning of the season and the calibration information is recorded.	10
Site	Rotate to corn or small grain between alfalfa crops. Never follow alfalfa with alfalfa.	15
	Records of planting date, variety, pounds of fertilizer used, harvest date and yield are recorded and filed on each field.	5
Disease	Select high-yielding, winter-hardy varieties with resistance to Phytophthora root rot, anthracnose, Verticillium wilt and Aphanomyces root rot.	15
	Use seed-treatment fungicides specific for Phytophthora and Pythium to reduce losses from damping off.	10
	Select well-drained field. If necessary improve soil drainage to prevent excess moisture accumulation for extended periods of time.	5
Insect	Use potato leafhopper resistant varieties.	10
Weed	Herbicide programs and rates are selected on a field-by-field basis, based on tillage, soil factors, and knowledge about weed populations (species composition and severity).	15
	Rotation of herbicide mode of action over years and crops is practiced to minimize the risk of development of herbicide-resistant weed populations.	15
	Viability of alfalfa stand is monitored to determine whether herbicide application is justified, or the field should be rotated to another crop.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			124 pts Goal		155 pts

At-planting IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Disease	Plant in a well-prepared seed bed when soil moisture is adequate for quick germination and seedling emergence. For late summer, no-till seeding, plant as early in August as possible to avoid seeding losses due to Sclerotinia crown and stem rot.	10
Weed	Spread of weeds is minimized through use of weed-free crop seed and cleaning of tillage, planting, and harvesting equipment between fields.	10
	Plant into a weed-free seedbed; use glyphosate or paraquat as necessary to control emerged weeds at time of planting.	10

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			24 pts Goal		30 pts

In-season IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Equipment	Calibration is checked at least once during the season and the equipment is re-calibrated if necessary.	15
	Spray nozzles that provide drift protection are used on the pesticide application equipment.	10
Site	Spray records including date, wind speed and direction, compound and formulation used, EPA registration number, amount of water used and rate applied per acre are recorded and filed for each field.	15
Insect	Scout alfalfa weekly for alfalfa weevil using the bucket method on first cutting. Check alfalfa regrowth on second cutting for alfalfa weevil. Control when populations reach economic threshold levels or cut early.	15
	Sweep alfalfa weekly for potato leafhopper on second and third cuttings. Control when populations reach economic threshold levels or cut early.	15
	Fields are not treated until they have been thoroughly scouted, pests have been identified and counted, and Ohio State University Extension insect recommendations have been consulted for the economic threshold for the pest.	15
Disease	Minimize traffic over the field. Crown damage from heavy equipment provides an entry way for pathogens as well as causing soil compaction which promotes root rots.	15
Weed	A healthy competitive crop is maintained through use of the appropriate tillage, fertility, and other cultural and pest management practices.	15
	Amount of herbicide applied is minimized through better timing of application (when weeds are small and actively growing).	15
	Patches of new or problem weeds are controlled through use of chemical or non-chemical means to prevent spreading or seed production.	15
	Weeds in alleyways, ditch banks and roadways are prevented from going to seed by chemical or non-chemical means.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			128 pts Goal		160 pts

Harvest IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Disease	Harvest on time. Proper harvest intervals will ensure adequate storage of reserves in taproots while minimizing the buildup of disease organisms on leaves, stems and crowns.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			12 pts Goal		15 pts

Post-Harvest IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Crop	Evaluate and identify successful practices, incorporate them into next years crop.	10
Weeds	Update field weed maps, use to make treatment decisions next season.	10

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			16 pts Goal		20 pts

Comprehensive IPM Score
(Add scores of previous 6 sections)

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			328 pts Goal		410 pts

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