Long before the term “sustainable” became a household word, farmers were implementing sustainable practices in the form of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies. IPM uses a combination of biological, cultural, physical, and chemical methods to reduce and/or manage pest populations. These strategies are used to minimize environmental risks, economic costs, and health hazards. Pests are managed (although rarely eliminated entirely) to reduce their negative impact on the crop.
Scouting and monitoring diseases, insects, weeds, and abiotic disorders helps identify potential problems before serious losses result. This is essential to the IPM approach. The key to effective monitoring is accurate identification. The pictures included in this guide represent the more common abiotic and biotic problems that occur in Kentucky strawberry plantings.
This manual is not all-inclusive, and growers may encounter problems not included here.
Please contact a local Cooperative Extension Service office for further assistance. Additional information on identification, production, fertility, and pest management relevant to strawberries can also be found in the following publications, available at county Extension offices and online:
- Commercial Fruit Pest Management Guide (ID-232)
- Disease and Insect Control Program for Home Grown Fruit in Kentucky including Organic Alternatives (ID-21)
An IPM Scouting Guide for Common Problems of Strawberry in Kentucky
This article was originally published here: http://www.uky.edu/hort/node/1721