54 Handbook of herbs and spices
Fig. 2.6 Scientific farming practices based on GAP and IPM in a marigold field by AVT
Natural products.2.5 Integrated pest management and organic production
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a more or less total solution to controlling
chemical residues in agriculture of spices and herbs. Any contract farming model for
quality improvement of spices and herbs should essentially contain an IPM
module suited to that crop. Though used to control insect and mite pests, herbs are
prone to attack themselves from a wide range of pests. Aphids, two-spotted spider
mites, caterpillars such as armyworms and cabbage loopers, leaf miners and whiteflies
are some of the examples. Each spice/herb variety harbours its own spectrum of
pests, and managing these depends on specific host-parasite relation. IPM options
Fig. 2.7 Post-harvest drying by natural methods under hygienic and controlled environment to
reduce mould infestation and usage of fungicides by AVT McCormick.