IPM begins in the planning stages with site selection, fertility and pH management, varietal selection, planting date, seed bed preparation, and other decisions that affect crop health. IPM activities should be used to protect the potential yield or quality of a given field. Even the best IPM efforts, however, cannot offset losses incurred through improper production practices or poor stand establishment. Where viable alternatives are available, grower acceptance of nonpesticide IPM approaches is typically high. There are, however, a number of important pests, including most key insects and weeds, for which nonpesticide control alternatives are not widely accepted.
Insect pests are often difficult to control within a season with cultural techniques alone.
An exception to this is rotation of infested corn fields to avoid losses induced by corn rootworm larvae. On many farms suitable alternative corn sites may be limited by lack of soil resources or by crop rotational sequence. A variety of cultural control techniques is available to minimize the impact of weeds, but employment of these techniques is affected by factors including soil type, labor constraints, availability of appropriate equipment, weather conditions, competition with other cropping activities, and more. Cultivation, special tillage practices, and banded herbicide use are all effective alternatives to conventional weed control practices. These documents were last updated in 1996.