Economically Optimal Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Control of Corn Rootworm and Soybean Cyst Nematode (Dynamic Program)
Zacharias, Thomas Paul
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/69861
Description
Title
Economically Optimal Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Control of Corn Rootworm and Soybean Cyst Nematode (Dynamic Program)
Author(s)
Zacharias, Thomas Paul
Issue Date
1984
Department of Study
Agricultural Economics
Discipline
Agricultural Economics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Economics, Agricultural
Abstract
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a technology which combines alternative pest control measures rather than exclusive reliance upon a single control measure. Economic analyses of IPM technology have considered primarily the issues of amount and timing of chemical pesticide applications within a single season. The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate interseasonal use of alternative pest control methods for the case of multiple crops and multiple pests. Crops considered in the analysis were corn and soybeans. Pests of interests were the corn rootworm and soybean cyst nematode. Alternative pest control measures included chemical pesticide application, nematode-resistant soybean cultivars, and rotation to nonhost crops.
A mathematical systems model was developed to describe the management process. A stochastic dynamic programming model was then used to determine economically optimal pest management strategies. The optimal strategy was in terms of a single field decision rule. The decision rule indicated the course of action to pursue at the time of planting given the state of the system. The state of the system at planting was defined as corn rootworm density, density of soybean cyst nematode, previous land use, and expected producted prices for corn and soybeans. The criterion of the objective function was maximization of expected net returns. This criterion was modified later in the analysis in order to investigate the effects of risk averse behavior on the decision rule.
Empirical results indicated that the major substitution possibilities among the alternative control methods occurred when the previous land use state was land planted to corn. At this particular state, the decision rule corresponded closely to extension service recommendations for control of both CRW and SCN at certain levels of expected product prices. For land previously in soybeans, untreated corn was predominantly the optimal strategy. The benchmark solution revealed that nematicide use was an optimal SCN control measure even at low infestations of SCN. However, this result was sensitive to assumptions concerning the undamaged yield of the susceptible soybean cultivar. Under a risk averse decision criterion, the decision rule indicated that CRW insecticide use increased relative to the risk neutral case.
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