Basic management methods are similar for all crop pests. The five basic types of pest management strategies for agronomic crops include physical, cultural, genetic, biological, and chemical techniques. Physical management techniques are direct or indirect measures that eliminate the pest or slow down the growth rate of the pest population. An example of temperature as a physical management technique can be demonstrated with the corn flea beetle. If the sum of the average temperatures for the months of December, January, and February is below 90 F, beetle numbers will be reduced.
Farmers can use temperature to help predict the abundance of certain pests.
Cultural management practices are used to provide less favorable conditions for pest development. For example, planting wheat after the fly-free date can greatly reduce damage from Hessian fly . Conventional tillage, which buries plant debris, destroys much disease inoculum and overwintering sites for stalk borers, armyworms, and slugs. Narrow row widths and optimum plant populations help agronomic crops compete with emerging weeds. Early harvest may help reduce losses from stalk rot in corn.