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 Cabbage - Primary concerns are diseases, insects, and weeds

Diseases	Insects	Weeds
Damping off	Cutworms	Annual grasses
Nematodes	Cabbage maggot	Annual broadleaf weeds
Club root	Flea beetle	Perennial weeds
Black rot	Imported cabbageworm
Black leg	Cabbage looper
Downy mildew	Diamondback moth
Alternaria leaf spot	Onion thrips
	Aphids

Educational IPM Considerations

Education	Activity	Points
	Join local or state grower associations that handle this commodity.	5
	Attend the Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Congress annually to meet and exchange information with other growers. Attend current pest management informational / research presentations.	10
	Obtain the latest Ohio Vegetable Production Guide and other commodity specific reports / production guides.	10
	Gain access to e-mail or fax for weekly VegNet newsletter updates on disease, insect, and weed development, plus management options during the growing season.	10
	Implement an IPM practice currently not used on your farm on limited acreage and gauge its success.	10
	Research alternative markets that may encourage less pesticide use either through specific use reduction requirements (organic, eco-, IPM labels) or simply by permitting more insect feeding, requiring fewer wrapper leaves, etc.	10

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			44 pts Goal		55 pts

Pre-plant IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Fertility	Soil test; amend soil with fertilizer according to guidelines.	15
	Desired mineral soil pH is 6.0-6.8.	15
	Apply 100 percent of possible P and K pre-plant.	15
	Avoid applying excessive N; provide adequate Boron.	15
Site	Select well drained muck or mineral soil field.	15
	Maintain accurate records of planting dates, field locations, varieties, fertilizer and spray applications.	10
	If variety chosen is susceptible to thrips, do not plant cabbage next to wheat field, which is where thrips over winter. Avoid varieties that are susceptible to thrips. Thrips will disperse far and wide and infest cabbage no matter how far from a wheat field.	10
Seed & Hybrid	Use certified disease free or heat treated seed to control black rot.	15
	Use disease free certified transplants.	15
	Use preplant fungicide to protect against Pythium.	15
	Select hybrids well adapted for your growing area with good disease tolerance or resistance and tolerance to Onion thrips.	15
Weed	Practice weed seed exclusion tactics such as high pressure washing machinery shared between farms.	15
	Buy certified seed and weed free soil mixtures; determine weed seed content of all seed and do not plant seed contaminated with weed seed not known to occur on your farm.	15
	Use site free of perennials such as quack grass, Johnson grass, Yellow nutsedge, or Canada thistle if possible.	15
	Use a combination of fall/spring tillage and fall/spring application of a broad spectrum herbicide to control established perennials or rotate with a herbicide resistant crop on which a broad spectrum herbicide was used.	15
	Apply pre-plant herbicides to control seedling broad leaf weeds and annual grasses if necessary.	10
	Use stale seed bed technique.	15
Equipment	Calibrate sprayer; check flow rates and nozzles for fungicide, herbicide, and insecticide use. Select drift guard nozzles.	15
Disease	Select properly rotated site ­ one year away from other Cruciferous crops.	10
	Select properly rotated site - 2-3 years away from other Cruciferous crops.	15
	Use drip tape and plastic mulch for weed control, disease control, and irrigation.	10
Insect	Transplant crop at time when cabbage maggot flies (adults) not active, as determined by flowering of indicator plants. For direct seeded crops, seed at a time that will minimize exposure of seedlings to active cabbage maggot flies.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			244 pts Goal		305 pts

At-planting IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Weed	Apply pre-emerge herbicides to control seedling broad leaf weeds and annual grasses if satisfactory control was not achieved with pre-plant products.	10
Insect	Apply insecticide for control of cabbage maggot if seedlings will be exposed to a period of maggot fly activity. Otherwise do not apply an insecticide for control of cabbage maggot.	10

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			16 pts Goal		20 pts

In-season IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Weed	Consider using cultivation to control weeds	10
	Use post emergence broadcast or directed or shielded applications of post emerge herbicides to control emerged perennial weeds, broad leaf weeds, or grasses.	10
	Update field weed maps, use to make treatment decisions next season.	15
	Watch for weeds that are not common or are new to the field, consider adopting a zero threshold for these weeds and physically remove them in order to prevent seed production.	15
Insect	Scout fields for key pests and beneficial insects at least once per week, noting plant stage and size. Use cabbage management chart in OH Veg. Prod. Guide or similar IPM guidelines for Ohio and the upper midwest to determine thresholds and appropriate actions.	15
	Use only selective insecticides that suppress pests but allow natural enemies to survive (i.e. only those rated as least disruptive to natural enemies in chart in OH Vegetable Production Guide).	15
	For each spray application, choose a single insecticide that controls the pest complex present, rather than using a mixture.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			76 pts Goal		95 pts

Harvest IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
	None described

Post-Harvest IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Site	Plow down residue as soon as possible after harvest to reduce weed residue, fungal inoculum, and insect over wintering locations.	15
Crop	Evaluate and identify successful practices, incorporate them into next years crop	10
Weed	Update field weed maps, use to make treatment decisions next season.	15
	Spot spray persistent perennial weeds.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			44 pts Goal		55 pts

Comprehensive IPM Score
(Add scores of previous 6 sections)

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			424 pts Goal		530 pts

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