Integrated Pest Management: Benefits

Benefits gained from implementing an IPM programme are often conditional on correct application of the system and other interrelated factors such as sward condition and turf management practices aimed at the sustainable management of a turfgrass surface.

Contributory benefits can be stated as:
• A reduction in the impact and damage from undesirable organisms (e.g. insects, diseases, weed infestation).
• It requires a well-considered and justified approach, which can be explained and demonstrated to others via documentation.
• A demonstration of pro-active management.
• Non-target organisms can be better protected, or less affected, by more specific pesticides when these have to be used.
• Providing options for a range of controls, before the need to apply any chemical.
• Provide a cost-effective approach to controlling undesirable organisms. This benefit would need breaking down into initial and ongoing controls. Cultural and physical controls might be cost-effective for ongoing controls in turf situations, however, where a serious disease attack occurs then for an initial control and to maintain a desirable standard in the immediate short-term then a chemical application may be the most cost-effective solution. However, pesticides applied on a regular basis can be very expensive.
• Minimising and reducing the pesticide load on the wider environment, reducing the potential for soil and water contamination, as well as reducing pesticide exposure to workers and the general public. This does assume that an increase in effectiveness of cultural and physical controls in particular have reduced the need for pesticide applications.
• An increase in knowledge and understanding of pest life cycles and how this can be related to maintenance practices to better improve sward resilience.
• Promoting the ‘responsible use of pesticides', although this is a loaded interpretation and is can be viewed, where used in an organisation's promotional material, as a proxy for green-wash, although by contrast it can also be viewed as a positive step in raising awareness of the need to reduce the pesticide load on the environment. So, a contested use of words.
• Contribute to a sustainable management approach of reducing the input of synthetic products into the environment and reducing the carbon input form synthetic pesticide use.