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 Soybean - Primary concerns are weeds, diseases, insects

Weeds	Diseases	insects
Annual grasses	Phomopsis seed decay	Slugs
Annual broadleaf weeds	Pythium seed rot	Bean leaf beetle
Perennial weeds	Phytophthora damping off & seedling blight	Two-spotted spider mite
Triazine resistant biotypes	Rhizoctonia damping-off	Mexican bean beetle
	Phytopthora root & stem rot
	Sclerotinia stem rot
	Brown stem rot
	Stem canker
	Rhizoctonia stem rot
	Soybean cyst nematode
	Bacterial blight
	Brown spot
	Downy mildew
	Powdery mildew
	Soybean viruses
	Sudden death syndrome

Educational IPM Considerations

Education	Activity	Points
	Producer possesses a copy of OSU Extensions Weed Control Guide, Insect Control Guide, The Soybean in Ohio 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 concentrations, pH and lime requirement have been done on fields within the past 2- 3 years by a respected soil testing laboratory.	15
	Fertilizer is applied according to the soil test results and the yield of the crop.	10
	Apply compost or manure according to soil test recommendations.	10
	Maintain soil pH in the 6.5 to 7.0 range.	10
	Conserve organic matter with no-tillage or minimum tillage where feasible. (Depends on soil texture, soil moisture and drainage, soil temperature and lay of the land)	10
	Apply lime, if needed, 6 to 12 months before planting crop.	5
Equipment	Pesticide application equipment is calibrated at the beginning of the season and the calibration information is recorded.	10
Site	Rotate soybean with corn or small grains; a two- to three-year rotation is adequate under most circumstances. At least three years may be necessary for high populations of soybean cyst nematode.	15
	Maintain accurate records of planting dates, field locations, varieties, fertilizer and spray applications.	5
Disease	Select varieties with specific resistance and/or partial resistance to Phytophthora root rot, or varieties less susceptible to Sclerotinia stem rot, if these diseases have caused reduced yields on your fields. Use soybean cyst nematode resistance varieties in fields with soybean cyst nematodes, but only if used in a crop rotation sequence designed to reduce nematode populations.	15
	Improve surface and subsurface drainage to remove excess water quickly. This will reduce damage caused by Phytophthora and damping off as well as other seedling diseases.	15
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
	When possible, cultural practices are manipulated to minimize weed populations and maximize competitiveness of the crop. Examples: narrow rows, delayed planting.	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

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			132 pts Goal		165 pts

At-planting IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Disease	Plant only well cleaned, high quality, disease-free seed with a germination of 80 percent or greater. Treat seed with Phytophthora specific fungicides if seeds will be planted in a field with a history of Phytophthora root rot. Plant only if adequate soil moisture is available for rapid germination. Also treat seed with an appropriate fungicide if Phomopsis or Sclerotinia were known to be present in seed production fields.	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

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			16 pts Goal		20 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	Monitor fields several times during the season for insects and insect related pests.	10
	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	Weed control is especially important because weeds act as hosts for both Sclerotinia white mold and soybean cyst nematode.	15
Weed	Fields are scouted in mid to late season for weeds. The weed species, location of the weeds and severity of the weeds are recorded and used to make herbicide recommendations for the next year.	15
	Amount of herbicide used in postemergence programs is minimized through better timing of application (when weeds are small and actively growing).	15
	The need for spot or rescue herbicide treatments is based on available economic threshold and weed interference information.	10
	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			120 pts Goal		150 pts

Harvest IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Disease	Harvest as quickly as possible to avoid moldy seed caused by Phomopsis.	15

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			12 pts Goal		15 pts

Post-Harvest IPM Considerations

Management	Activity	Points
Disease	Incorporate residues if severe disease problems occur from leaf diseases and brown stem rot. Tillage will improve surface drainage and reduce damage from Phytophthora root rot.	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

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			32 pts Goal		40 pts

Comprehensive IPM Score
(Add scores of previous 6 sections)

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			336 pts Goal		420 pts

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