Fundamentals of Plant Pathology

INTRODUCTION

Integrated Disease Management

Integrated disease management (IDM) came under focus in 1960’s when chemicals especially, fungicides and insecticides came under the attack from environmentalists due to the overuse of chemicals that created the problems of environmental pollution, chemical residues in food stuff, land, water and air, and the associated health hazards.

• It focused on the other methods of disease control.
• It involved cultural, biological, epidemiological and alternative means to achieve the disease control.
• Nowadays, there is an emphasis on disease “management” rather than on “Control”.

Definition of IDM

“Disease management system that in the context of associated environment and population dynamics of microorganisms, utilizes all suitable techniques and methods in a manner as compatible as possible and maintains the disease below economic level”.

• In general, it is the integration of all possible and suitable management techniques for the control of diseases.
• The practices which need to be avoided in IDM are indiscriminate use of fungicides, monoculture and growing of susceptible cultivars.
• Integrated disease management ensures the proper management of soil health, use of healthy seeds and planting material, application of fungicides when required, field sanitation, cultural practices which suppress the disease , use of bio-control agents and growing resistant plant genotypes .

Different Approaches of Integrated Disease Management System

1. The combined control approach: It is a combination of control methods like adjustment in sowing time, seed treatment, use of resistant variety, chemical spray schedule etc. This type of IDM is widely practiced as a package of practice where the occurrence of disease is certain and sure.
2. The surveillance based approach: It is an advanced IDM approach based on crop health monitoring and surveillance, and takes into account the economic threshold levels or economic damage levels.
3. Advanced integrated disease management system: It involves the high input technology like computer supported forecasting, remote sensing, scouting, multiple pathogen thresholds, information on life cycle of pathogens, epidemiology of diseases, environmental factor and knowledge based decision making.