Different Methods of Pest Control

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Methods of Pest Control

In the world today there is an ever increasing desire to increase

agricultural efficiency in terms of producing maximum yields of crops

and produce. Maximum output levels cannot be reached if pests are

consistently destroying crops and this affects both the producer and

the consumer. Consequently different methods of exterminating and

reducing pest numbers have been developed in the forms of herbicides,

fungicides and insecticides, which can be categorised under the

general; heading pesticides.

One effective way of protecting crops is the use of chemical

pesticides, which are designed to control, repel or kill various pests

or weeds which are potentially harmful to the plant. The most popular

pesticide in developed countries is the herbicide, which are utilised

as a means of destroying weeds which are native plants growing in

cultivated soil and compete interspecifically with a crop plant for

key resources such as light, water and minerals. Herbicides reduce the

interspecific competition between the crop and the weed.

A significant disadvantage of pesticides is that they are often

poisonous. Farmers must therefore take care not to overuse chemical

pesticides as they can have serious effects on non-target organisms

including people, such as the farmer applying the pesticide or the

consumer who will encounter the pesticide residues that are left on a

crop plant. Other effects on target organisms may include insects such

as bees or other natural predators of a pest insect may be killed by

an insecticide. Fungicides may kill beneficial soil fungi and

herbicides ...

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disadvantages and it may depend on the type of crop or plant that the

individual farmer grows that may decipher upon which system is most

beneficial to that farmer. Pesticides have the disadvantage of their

potentially dangerous and harmful chemical properties which are easily

spread, however they are relatively cheap and effective. Biological

control is advantageous for its lack of harmfulness to the environment

and it’s preserving of nature, however the process needs more research

and is more time consuming and more difficult to fine tune.

Bibliography:

1. http://www.wikipedia.com

2. AS Level Biology textbook

3. Letts Revise AS Biology study guide

4. http://www.betterpestcontrol.com/insecticides.html

5.

http://highplainsipm.org/HpIPMSearch/Docs/DisadvantagesAdvantages-BiologicalControl.htm