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Dynamic Model of Pest Attacks and Pesticide Use: Optimal Pest Control in Plant Protection

Joko Mariyono

Abstract


Pest infestations are economically significant because of their potential to reduce agricultural production. Controlling pest attacks is not a simple task since pests are biologically dynamic. Using pesticides to control pest attacks does not provide the expected outcomes. Understanding the nature of the relationship between pest infestations and pesticide use helps farmers and policy makers to take appropriate decisions. This paper explores the dynamic relationship between pest attacks and pesticide use using optimal control theory, based on economic maximization. Using two different scenarios, there are two dynamic movements in pest attacks and pesticide use. First, effective pesticides are recommended to be used when the virulence of pests and toxicity of pesticides are high. This will result in a low level of pesticide use, which can maintain pest attacks low if the growth rate of pests is high. Second, there is a possible case where pesticides could be ineffective and cause pest resurgence. This case can be overcome by identifying the property of pesticides. Both scenarios confirm the past experiences of Indonesian rice agriculture.

Keywords


pest attacks, pesticide use, dynamic models, pest resurgence

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