Measure to manage - an integrated pest management metric for horticulture.
Byrne J, Lillywhite R, Thorne F, Walsh L, Creissen H.
Integrated Pest Management
Every time a grower swaps a pesticide spray for a targeted trap or a beneficial insect release, the bees visiting your vegetable patch and the birds nesting in nearby hedgerows get a little safer — and this study is the first tool that can actually measure how much progress is being made across whole countries.
Scientists created a scoring system to measure how much farmers rely on smart, low-chemical pest control instead of just reaching for pesticides. They tested it across four regions of the British Isles and found that while most growers are doing okay (averaging about 58 out of 100), there's a lot of room to improve. Growers in England scored highest, likely because they have better access to training, advice, and supportive rules around pest management.
Key Findings
Average IPM adoption score across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England was 58 out of 100, with scores ranging from 5 to 100.
English growers led with an average score of 64 out of 100, showing stronger uptake of core IPM practices than the other three regions.
This is the first study to apply a single universal IPM metric across multiple countries, enabling direct regional comparisons and long-term benchmarking.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers measured how well farmers in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England are using integrated pest management (IPM) — a strategy that combines multiple techniques to control pests while reducing pesticide use. Average adoption scored 58 out of 100, with English growers leading at 64, suggesting that supportive national policies and infrastructure help farmers use fewer chemicals more effectively.
Abstract Preview
<h4>Background</h4>Integrated pest management (IPM) is the primary global crop protection paradigm. Based around a broad range of techniques, it is a framework for the management of pests (animal p...
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