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Title: Factors influencing economic profitability of dampling-based integrated management of wheat in country elevators

Author
item ADAM, B - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV
item SIAPLAY, M - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV
item Flinn, Paul
item BRORSEN, B - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV
item PHILLIPS, T - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Stored Products Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/23/2009
Publication Date: 7/1/2010
Citation: Adam, B.D., Siaplay, M., Flinn, P.W., Brorsen, B.W., Phillips, T.W. 2010. Factors influencing economic profitability of dampling-based integrated management of wheat in country elevators. Journal of Stored Products Research. 46(3):186-196. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2010.04.004.

Interpretive Summary: The reduced number of insecticides available for controlling insect pests of stored grain combined with demands for pest-free food poses a challenge for managers of stored grain facilities. Integrated pest management (IPM) provides the potential for better insect management in stored grain, as well as increased worker safety and reduced environmental impact. Many country elevators continue to use calendar-based fumigation instead of IPM. To determine if this choice is economically justified, we used a simulation model to compare the total costs for sampling-based IPM and calendar-based fumigation for a typical country elevator in the U.S. Central and Southern Plains. The simulation studies showed that if insect immigration rate was the same for all bins, then country elevators storing hard red winter wheat will likely find it more economical to use calendar-based fumigation than to adopt a sampling-based IPM approach. However, if we assumed that insect immigration rate varies among bins, then a sampling-based IPM approach was the better alternative. A sampling-based IPM program can save the elevators money and decrease environmental impact because, instead of fumigating all of the bins at a facility, they only need to fumigate bins that are infested.

Technical Abstract: Integrated pest management provides the potential for better insect management in stored wheat, as well as increased worker safety and reduced environmental concerns. Many country elevators, however, continue to use chemical-based approaches. To determine if this choice is economically justified, total costs – including both costs of implementation and costs of failing to control insects – for sampling-based IPM and calendar-based chemical approaches were compared for a typical country elevator under environmental conditions of the Central and Southern Plains. Results suggest that country elevators storing hard red winter wheat under standardized assumptions likely find it more economical to use calendar-based fumigation than to adopt a sampling-based IPM approach when both cost of treatment and cost of failing to control insects are considered. However, if managers can reduce immigration rate of insects into at least some bins and store the grain a shorter amount of time, or if sampling cost can be reduced, sampling-based IPM becomes an economically attractive alternative.