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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been defined as an interdisciplinary science (3). IPM has become popular this past decade; however, integrated pest management has been practiced by farmers and growers for decades. As nonfarming agricultural professionals become more specialized they tend to become “reductionists” or ever-narrower in their perspective base. From this evolution into disciplines has arisen the necessity to redirect thought and effort to addressing the total or whole such as is commonly done by the farmer or grower. IPM has been considered an effort in this direction, although unanimity in definition of IPM has been notably absent. Some have considered it synonymous with integrated pest control; in contrast, others have viewed it as a means to reduce the use of pesticides. Nevertheless, IPM has received considerable attention in the pest-related disciplines. Its implementation has been addressed in Presidential messages to Congress in 1977 and 1979 (7, 8).