Year-Round IPM Program Pages
When planning for pesticide applications in an IPM program, review and complete this checklist to consider practices that minimize environmental and efficacy problems.
Choose a pesticide from the UC IPM Peppers Pest Management Guidelines for the target pest, considering:
- Impact on natural enemies and honey bees.
- Potential for water quality problems using the UC IPM WaterTox database.
- Impact on aquatic invertebrates. (For more information, see Pesticide Choice .)
- Chemical mode of action, if pesticide resistance is an issue. For more information, see Herbicide Resistance: Definition and Management Strategies, UC ANR Publication 8012 (PDF).
- Endangered species that may be near your site. Find out using the Department of PesticideRegulation'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 over 5 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
- Identify and take special care to protect sensitive areas (for example, waterways or riparian areas) surrounding your application site.
- Review and follow label for pesticide handling, storage, and disposal guidelines.
- 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 treatment was effective.
Consider water management practices that reduce pesticide movement off-site.
- Consult relevant publications:
- Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Orchard Floor Management Practices to Reduce Erosion and Protect Water Quality
- Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Causes and Management of Runoff from Surface Irrigation in Orchards
- Protecting Surface Water from Sediment-Associated Pesticides in Furrow-Irrigated Crops
- Consult the Department of Pesticide Regulation Ground Water Protection Program (GWPA) website for pesticide information and mitigation measures.
- Install an irrigation recirculation or storage and reuse system.
- Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Tailwater Return Systems, UC ANR Publication 8225 (PDF)
- Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Storing Runoff from Winter Rains, UC ANR Publication 8211 (PDF)
- Use drip rather than sprinkler or flood irrigation.
- Limit irrigation to amount required using soil moisture and evapotranspiration (ET) monitoring.
- Consider the use of cover crops.
- Consider vegetative filter strips or ditches. (For more information, see Vegetative Filter Strips—)
- Use polyacrylamide (PAM) tablets in furrow irrigation systems to prevent off-site movement of sediments.
- Apply polyacrylamides in sprinkler irrigation systems to prevent runoff.
- Redesign inlets and outlets into tailwater ditches to reduce erosion. (For more information, see Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Tailwater Return Systems—)
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 emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations.
For more about mitigating the effects of pesticides, see the Mitigation page.