The pest management cycle

The pest management system is a cycle. It starts with:

1. Assessing the situation. Is there a problem?
2. If so, then what can be done – what are the options?
3. The next step is the decision on what action – for example in weeds, given the weeds, their number and stage of growth and the stage of the crops growth, you can:

a. Do nothing,
b. Manually weed,
c. Mechanically weed, or
d. Apply an agrochemical – in this case a herbicide.

4. If the decision is made to spray, then the right product has to be used, and
5. The application has to be made safely and effectively, before
6. Returning to the starting point and assessing the situation (in this case the effectiveness of the application).