Ancient agricultural pest control began around 3000 BCE when early farmers first encountered crop damage from insects, rodents, and diseases. These pioneering agriculturalists developed primitive but effective control methods including hand-picking insects, using natural compounds like ash and sulfur, implementing crop rotation practices, and encouraging natural predators. Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese texts provide evidence of these early integrated approaches to pest management, laying the foundation for thousands of years of agricultural innovation.
传统害虫防治方法在公元1000年到1800年期间，在欧洲、亚洲和美洲得到了显著发展。农民开发出复杂的伴生种植系统，学会了从除虫菊和印楝等植物中提取天然杀虫剂，制造机械陷阱和屏障，并对害虫生命周期有了更深入的了解。这一时期的关键创新包括使用烟草提取物作为天然杀虫剂、肥皂溶液防治害虫，以及建立系统性的作物轮作计划来破坏害虫繁殖周期并维持土壤健康。
The chemical revolution era from 1900 to 1970 marked a dramatic shift in agricultural pest control with the development of synthetic pesticides. The discovery of DDT and organophosphates led to unprecedented crop yield increases and mass production methods that transformed farming. However, serious problems soon emerged including environmental bioaccumulation, decline of beneficial insects, development of pesticide-resistant pest strains, and widespread food chain contamination. These issues highlighted the need for more sustainable approaches to pest management.
Integrated Pest Management emerged in the 1970s as a comprehensive response to the problems caused by excessive chemical pesticide use. IPM principles include economic threshold monitoring, multi-tactic approaches, sustainable pest control, and environmental protection. The IPM strategy is built on four main components arranged in a hierarchical pyramid: biological control using natural enemies forms the foundation, followed by cultural practices like crop rotation and resistant varieties, then mechanical and physical controls, with selective chemical use only as a last resort. This approach emphasizes pest monitoring techniques, beneficial insect release programs, and systematic decision-making processes for determining optimal treatment timing.
Modern biotechnology applications from the 1990s to 2010s revolutionized agricultural pest control through genetic modification techniques. The development of Bt crops involved inserting pest-resistant genes into crop DNA, creating transgenic varieties that produce Bt toxins which damage pest cells at the cellular level. RNA interference technology provided another breakthrough by silencing specific pest genes. These innovations led to enhanced crop effectiveness compared to conventional varieties, as shown by comparative studies. Comprehensive regulatory frameworks and safety assessments were established to ensure the safe deployment of these biotechnology solutions in agriculture.