About the lab

The focus of the research at IPMC lab is to provide long-term sustainable solutions for agriculture pests management. Our goal is to work together with extension service specialist and regional growers in order to create relevant research which includes an overall view of the growing plants, the regional agricultural interface, the ecological interactions, and the human environment. By working in collaboration with researchers from different fields and disciplines, we can refer to pests' growth, to plant biochemistry and genetics and the ecological environment as a whole and offer workable solutions.

What is IPM?

Integrated pest management is an ecosystem-based approach used to treat agricultural pests by optimizing the economical, environmental and social implications. This approach is based on understanding insect-plant interactions and combines biological, cultural, mechanical, physical, and chemical tools to minimize pest damage, environmental risks, and reduce danger to public health. The main perception of IPM is to change the concept of pest control to pest management. Lowering the carrying capacity of the field environment or changing the balance of the pest population to a level that does not cause economic injury. By identifying the major pests in the crop, understanding the pest's life history, ecology, and potential natural enemies, it is possible to maintain the damage cused by pest population under the economic threshold without overuse of chemical pesticide.