Integrated Plant Disease Management in Developing Countries

Plant diseases are considered an important biotic constraint, which leads to significant crop losses worldwide. Integrated disease management (IDM), which combines biological, cultural, physical and chemical control strategies in a holistic way rather than using a single component strategy proved to be more effective and sustainable. In practice and in the majority of cropping systems today, emphasis is still being placed on a single technology. Nevertheless, the use of IDM strategy is gaining momentum, but in developing countries it often lacks the enabling environment for its successful implementation. Success requires appropriate policies in place that cover a wide range of themes such as plant protection, private sector investment, trade and export, food safety, land use, education and awareness, and agriculture extension. Wide adoption of IDM practices is a pre-requisite for achieving impact at the country level. Experience over the last few decades clearly showed that adoption and support for using participatory approaches help farmers improve their overall field management, including disease management, reducing costs and improving production efficiency. In this paper we will shed light on all the elements that require attention to achieve successful IDM adoption at the national level in developing countries.