Integrated Pest Management for Sustainable Agriculture

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Local agricultural pests will be surveyed, as well as weeds and diseases and their impact on crops. The course will focus on identification of pest problems and sustainable methods of integrated pest management including cultural, biological and physical control methods. Concepts of building and maintaining healthy soil, plant and insect biological cycles as key to ecological pest control will be explored. Structural and public health pests will also be discussed. Chemical control methods described will be such that are least toxic and permissible by the National Organic Program standards.