Integrated pest management

Integrated pest management (IPM) was launched in the United States, and ultimately around the world, with the funding of a large, influential, interdisciplinary, interagency project referred to as the Huffaker IPM Project. The turfgrass industry still relies primarily on synthetic pesticides for pest management. The implementation of IPM is generally limited but depends on the type of pest and the turfgrass market segment. Insect management generally has developed and used more IPM methods than nematode, fungal disease, and, especially, weed management, because insect pests tend to be more amenable to curative control and because of the longer tradition of IPM in entomology. Golf courses, followed by athletic fields, have seen more use of IPM than has professional lawn care. Golf-course superintendents and athletic-field managers work on more confined turfgrass areas, allowing them to be more attuned to the turf conditions, and they have more flexibility with and influence on the turf-management choices.