Year-Round IPM Program Pages
Planting and Establishing a Stand
When planning for possible pesticide applications in an IPM program, consult the Pest Management Guidelines, and review and complete this checklist to consider practices that minimize environmental and efficacy problems.
Choose a pesticide from the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for the target pest considering:
- Impact on natural enemies and pollinators. For more information see Protecting Natural Enemies and Pollinators.
- Potential for water quality problems using the UC IPM WaterTox database.
- Impact on aquatic invertebrates. For more information, see Pesticide Choice, UC ANR Publication 8161 .
- Chemical mode of action, if pesticide resistance is an issue. For more information, see Herbicide Resistance: Definition and Management Strategies, UC ANR Publication 8012 .
- Endangered species that may be near your site. Find out using the Department of Pesticide Regulation's PRESCRIBE program.
Before an application
- Ensure that spray equipment is properly calibrated to deliver the desired pesticide amount for optimal coverage.
- Use appropriate spray nozzles and pressure to minimize off-site movement of pesticides.
- Avoid spraying during these conditions to avoid off-site movement of pesticides.
- Wind speed under 3 mph or over 10 mph
- Temperature inversions
- Just prior to rain or irrigation (unless it is an appropriate amount, such as when incorporating a soil-applied pesticide)
- At tractor speeds over 2 mph
- Avoid spraying areas of bare soil, such as weevil-damaged areas, with pesticides prone to cause water quality problems. Consider overseeding these areas with grasses.
- Identify and take special care to protect sensitive areas (for example, waterways or riparian areas) surrounding your application site.
- Review and follow labeling for pesticide handling, personal protection equipment (PPE) requirements, storage, and disposal.
- Check and follow restricted entry intervals (REI) and preharvest intervals (PHI).
After an application:
- Record application date, product used, rate, and location of application.
- Follow up to confirm that the pesticide application was effective.
Consider water management practices that reduce pesticide movement off-site.
- Consult relevant publications, such as Protecting Surface Water from Sediment-Associated Pesticides in Furrow-Irrigated Crops , UC ANR Publication 8403
- Consult the Department of Pesticide Regulation Groundwater Protection Program (GWPA) website for pesticide information and mitigation measures.
- Install an irrigation recirculation or storage and reuse system.
- Consider alternative water application methods such as sprinklers and drip irrigation which limit off-site water movement.
- Limit irrigation to amount required using soil moisture monitoring and evapotranspiration (ET). (See Irrigated Alfalfa Management for Mediterranean and Desert Zones: Irrigating Alfalfa in Arid Regions , UC ANR Publication 8293.)
- Consider vegetative filter strips or ditches. For more information, see Vegetative Filter Strips, UC ANR Publication 8195.
- Apply polyacrylamides in bedded alfalfa and drainage ditches to prevent off-site movement of sediments.
- Redesign inlets and outlets into tailwater ditches to reduce erosion. (For more information, see Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Tailwatsteer Return Syms.
Consider practices that reduce air quality problems.
- When possible, reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by decreasing the amount of pesticide applied, choosing low-emission management methods, and avoiding fumigants and emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations.
For more about mitigating the effects of pesticides, see the Mitigation page.