A review of the effects of various agronomic practices on cereal stem borer populations

The effects of agronomic practices such as sanitation and alternate hosts, tillage and mulching, time of planting, multiple and intensive cropping, rotations, spacing, intercropping, use of fertilizers and irrigation on pest populations are reviewed, with special reference to cereal stem borers. The disadvantages of chemical control of stem borers are discussed. It is concluded that agronomic practices have some potential for reducing populations of many pest species and of increasing those of beneficial ones. The effects of cultural methods are complex, and attention is drawn to the many areas of study requiring further investigation and the need for an interdisciplinary approach.