Skip to main content
Article
Uncertainty Undermines Area-Wide Pest Management for Citrus Greening in Florida
Choices
  • Ariel Singerman, University of Florida
  • Sergio H Lence, Iowa State University
  • Pilar Useche, University of Florida
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Abstract

Area-wide pest management targets the pest population of an entire area rather than a single farm. Such collective efforts are more efficient in the use of pest-control inputs and therefore have more lasting effects relative to individual (uncoordinated) farm sprays when pest populations are highly mobile. Coordinated sprays may also help reduce pesticide resistance (Vreysen, Robinson, and Hendrichs, 2007). From an economic standpoint, growers are expected to join an area-wide management group and coordinate pest management practices whenever the benefits outweigh the costs. Remarkably, Florida citrus growers’ participation in area-wide pest management has not been commensurate with evidence regarding its effectiveness in dealing with citrus greening. A likely explanation for the low participation rate is that the cost of coordinating insecticide sprays includes more than just application costs; it also includes the uncertainty growers face regarding their neighbors’ behavior.

Comments

This article is published as Singerman, Ariel, Sergio H. Lence, and Pilar Useche. "Uncertainty undermines area-wide pest management for citrus greening in Florida." Choices 32, no. 3 (2017): 1-10.

Copyright Owner
Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Ariel Singerman, Sergio H Lence and Pilar Useche. "Uncertainty Undermines Area-Wide Pest Management for Citrus Greening in Florida" Choices Vol. 32 Iss. 3 (2017) p. 1 - 10
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/sergio_lence/61/