Integrated Disease Management: Concepts and Applications

One of the main biotic limitations that significantly reduce crop yields is plant disease. Pests and diseases have proliferated in a number of cropping systems as a result of the shifting cropping system pattern, which has altered the cropping situation making plants more vulnerable to plant diseases. The use of pesticides has been the main approach of disease control for the past few decades in both industrialised and increasingly developing nations. However, a number of issues have been linked to this strategy, including the detrimental effects of fungicides on the environment and human health as well as the frequent emergence of disease resistance in pathogens. Integrated disease management is the sole approach that offers acceptable yield and quality at the lowest possible cost and in an environmentally responsible manner integrating together all the components like host resistance, biological, cultural, physical and chemical strategies. Gaining traction at the national level requires a broad acceptance of IDM practices. Appropriate consideration of policies across various domains like land use, education and awareness, trade, export, food safety, crop protection and agricultural extension activities, must be considered for successful implementation of IDM.