Insect Pest Management: Options for Monitoring Pest Populations
From ECHO's Seed Bank: Apios americana
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Insect Pest Management: Options for Monitoring Pest Populations
Annie D and Stacy Swartz
Part 2 of 4 in a series about Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Insect pests affect all forms of agricultural production, from densely planted field crops to high-value nursery plants to grains in storage. A pest management plan should start with foundational knowledge about local pest species and careful planning for pest prevention. We highlighted pest prevention strategies in the first article of this IPM series. After taking precautionary measures specific to your region and implementing practices that prevent pests from entering or multiplying in your production area, you will need to keep a watchful eye on pest populations and intervene before insect pests are likely to cause too much crop damage, or when they already are causing damage. This article explains some principles and practices for conducting in-field observations (sampling) to inform pest management decisions. The next article in this series will discuss intervention options and a final article will explain evaluation and assessment of intervention efforts as well as the cycle of IPM improvement.
Apios americana
Michelle Boutell
Apios americana is a climbing, perennial vine and a member of the legume (Fabaceae) family. Common names for this crop include apios, ground nut, wild bean, bog potato, wild potato, Virginia potato, Indian potato, and wild bean. The plant, native to eastern parts of North America, was widely cultivated by Native Americans for its edible tubers and beans. Its preference for trellis support makes it more difficult to grow on a field scale than a root crop like cassava (Manihot esculenta); however, A. americana is well-suited for small plantings around the home, producing protein-rich tubers that can be cooked in multiple ways.