Context

The evolution of the integrated pest management (IPM).

IPM requires a vertical integration of control methods (cultural and genetic, biological, physical and chemical controls) of the pathogen, and horizontal integration (simultaneous management of pathogens, weeds and animal pests).

The presence of pests can result in quantitative and qualitative high losses. In order to master the crop losses, farmers use different types of pesticides that are not without risks to the environment and public health. In addition, populations of target pests can develop resistance to pesticides, resulting in losses of efficiency of chemical protection strategies. Finally, the economic performance of the strategies of crop protection based on the use of plant protection products depend heavily on the prices of agricultural products whose fluctuations were accentuated in recent years. In strictly economic terms, it is then important to reason the use of pesticides on the basis of updated economic determinants on a regular basis.

It therefore appears necessary to redesign strategies for pests management pests in cropping systems to increase their social, environmental and economic performances. To do this, it should be mobilized other levers that the only chemical protection: use of resistant or tolerant cultivars (genetic control); adaptation of practices whose primary purpose is not the protection of cultures, such as the choice of the crop sequence, of soil preparation, fertilization... (cultural control); use of beneficials (biological control); or mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic interventions (physical control).

In addition, it is important to emphasize that pathogen populations belong to five reigns, which implies a very strong heterogeneity of biological characteristics.