Direct control measures

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the main focus of direct control measures.
• Classify direct control measures.
• Describe which methods each direct control measure involves.

Pest and disease management consists of a range of activities that support each other. Most management practices are long-term activities that aim at preventing pests and diseases from affecting a crop. Management focuses on keeping existing pest populations and diseases low. Control on the other and is a short-term activity and focuses on killing pest and disease. The general approach in organic agriculture to deal with the causes of a problem rather than treating the symptoms also applies for pest and diseases. Therefore, management is of a much higher priority than control. Direct pest control measures control the population of pests present in the fields or in the places where the pest population is maintained and which are the source of infection. In addition to mechanical and physical control measures, direct measures include the use of inorganic plant protection products or products of synthetic or biological origin. If agents of biological origin are applied, it is referred to as biological pest control.