Holistic Integrated Pest Management

To achieve success, Zenthanol Consulting focuses on preventative and reactive science-based solutions that are safe and rapidly deployed. A holistic, multidomain approach to agricultural pest mitigation optimizes any operating procedure with the most advantageous factors possible for a given context. Strategies that incorporate natural scientific understanding in fields such as ecology, entomology, mycology, botany and molecular biology can be more environmentally healthy and logistically efficient as they exploit historically inaccessible knowledge about biological life.

Services Provided

The following services are available either individually at an hourly rate or combined in a package offered monthly at a reduced price rated for scenarios like setting up a new cultivation site, maintaining site readiness and advisement of established personnel, or including subject matter expertise in decision making processes.

Monthly packages can change with the needs of the client.

Identification:

Pest identification and discrimination from beneficial and neutral organisms makes proactive and reactive treatments more efficient and less costly. This service also includes the assessment of potential pest vectors like plant hosts which can become a staging area for pests that aggregate outside of the typical treated cultivation space, as well as the generation of a threat model and plan to mitigate threats, ignore non-threats, and facilitate beneficial observations. Rapid response to pest presence with appropriate solutions is the most important factor for mitigating treatment cost, and this is only possible with correct identification. Misidentification and the consequence of inappropriate treatment results in needless expenditure of resources, sometimes for several weeks, before a treatment is abandoned.

• Assessments focus on of flora and fauna such as crop pests, beneficials, or neutral incidental organisms and their influence for the cultivation success.
• Identification services are available remotely or through in-person assessment onsite.

General Advisement:

Before making a lasting decisive action such as a source for biocontrols or the best treatment strategy, it is important to consider multiple options. There are hundreds of common pests that affect crops and often a few dozen to consider affecting any singular region. Integrated Pest Management relies on the implementation of many complimentary factors resulting in a synergistic effect, as well as reducing disadvantageous factors that facilitate pest and environmental stressors. Regular situational updates and meetings with between a subject matter expert and cultivation personnel allow a streamlined transfer of knowledge and information optimized for both short- and long-term planning reducing overall cost of treatment and prevention measures. Common subjects include:

Pest prevention

• What are some general pest prevention options?
• What is the most efficient pest tracking strategy?
• What are the signs of the target pest?

Pest Treatment

• What is the best strategy for eliminating the target pest?
• What is the treatment difficulty for the current levels of pest presence?
• What is the identity of this unknown target?

Pesticide-Biocontrol Compatibility

• Will these active ingredients affect current or future biocontrols?
• What is the best way to minimize pesticide incompatibility?
• What are the options for establishing biocontrols after spray incompatibility?

Biocontrol Application Strategy

• Which biocontrols are most effective against the target pest and context?
• What biocontrol application rate is most suitable?
• Why are biocontrols not working as effective as expected?

IPM Training:

Cultivators are often aware of the existence of pests but might not be familiar with the dozens of species that attack their crops nor their biology, effective treatments and preventative measures. Recognizing a pest, knowing how to search for them and the proper responses to deploy is a skill set that is in constant need of honing as new strategies or information becomes available through research. Bespoke references and guides in addition to group or individual presentations help establish new and veteran cultivators with the resources needed to make the right decisions in the field. Sessions are usually between 30-120 minutes and are priced in hourly increments based on the needs of the client. Examples include:

Pest Primer
Sessions focusing on crop-specific pests encompassing information such as biology, life cycle, damage signs, prevention, and treatment options. Interactions can be remote or in-person and pest selection variable. Training at regular intervals keeps cultivation and other personnel aware of important pest considerations regardless of experience level.

IPM Marketing
Presentations related to the advantage of using safer, cost-effective, and sustainable practices and the marketable significance this imparts on a premium product. Topics commonly covered are use of biocontrols, safe spray application, environmental responsibility and actions taken to reduce waste. It is recommended that relevant marketing and cultivation personnel learn together because both groups will have to collaborate when sharing technical information a customer is interested in.

Domain Knowledge
Resources needed for honing IPM domain knowledge and support growth in subjects like pest identification and biology, assessing product information, referencing research, environmental pest factors, scouting technique, treatment decision process, and new IPM technology or practices. Personnel experience level and client intent will dictate emphasized subjects.

Assessment
Sessions designed to identify strengths and weaknesses in IPM domain knowledge. Specific or broad topics can be emphasized based on the need of the client, and resources can be provided for additional training direction or candidate selection.

Standard Operating Procedure Development and Modification:

Generating and implementing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for proactive and reactive pest mitigation strategy ensures strong preventative measures are accessible and the transition to reactive measures is rapid, even in contexts where multiple pests may be present at various intensities or other complexities such as the sustainment of biocontrol agents and integration of chemical and physical agents of pest mitigation requiring careful consideration to reduce wasteful application and increase readiness. Aspects of IPM included in the SOP:

Prevention and treatment techniques for common pests associated with the cultivated crop. Several
example subjects are described below.

• Chemical agents: target efficacy, treatment schedule, integration with other controls.
• Biological agents: target suitability, rate of application, biocontrol assessment.
• Physical barriers: insect screen application, wind breaks.
• Operational conduct: Implementation of treatment, preventative behaviors, biosecurity.
• Pest seasonality based on geographic area.
• Tracking system for pest levels and observations from weekly site data.
• Known seasonal levels based on relevant research.
• Preventative treatment schedule based on pest observation data.

Site Evaluations

The best way to assess a cultivation site is in person, evaluating current and potential biosecurity factors of a multifacted Integrated Pest Management strategy. The proper context is incredibly important and allows for the exploitation of details that might not be apparent. Having access to research related to treatment options is integral to finding the most appropriate solution for a specific circumstance. Site evaluations include reports with academic evidence supporting the use of advised treatments in order to provide valuable information for personnel and proof of efficacy.

#PestPrimer Series

The Pest Primer series provides visual references of pest species along with research-backed treatment options including natural and commercial biocontrol agents and other techniques within a holistic IPM strategy.

Free Educational Cultivation Content