Pesticide Resistance Series: 4 Best Management Practices for Pesticide Resistance

Are Your Pest Management Practices Building Resistance — or Breaking It?

Over-reliance on chemical control can silently build pesticide resistance — undermining even your most trusted tools in the field.

The solution?

It starts with diversity.

From rotating chemicals to integrating cultural, mechanical, and biological strategies, there’s a smarter, more sustainable way to manage pests.

This course helps you put it all together.

Course Overview

Best Management Practices for Pesticide Resistance is the fourth course in Oregon State University’s Pesticide Resistance Series.

It equips growers, advisors, and other professionals with the tools and insights to combat resistance using a science-backed, integrated approach.

You’ll explore how to assess resistance risks, apply key IPM practices, and implement smart chemical use strategies like rotation and tank mixing — all while reviewing real-world case studies from the Pacific Northwest.

Whether you’re new to resistance management or want to improve your current strategy, this course will help you make more informed, more effective decisions in the field.

Key Benefits of Taking This Course

Protect the effectiveness of your pesticides by learning how to delay resistance through diversified practices
Apply regionally relevant solutions focused on the unique pest dynamics of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
Build confidence with real-world examples of resistance in weeds, insects, and plant diseases
Earn pesticide recertification credit while building actionable skills
Learn at your own pace through interactive modules and practical knowledge checks
Take part in a complete learning pathway through OSU’s 4-part Pesticide Resistance Series

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Discuss the importance of diversity in managing resistance
Define "pesticide mode of action" and explain its relevance to resistance
Describe chemical rotation and how to implement a successful strategy
Explain the use of tank mixes and pre-packed products with different modes of action
Define Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and describe its principles and goals
Explain the role of IPM in pesticide resistance prevention
Understand the IPM decision-making process and how to monitor pest populations
Describe biological, cultural, mechanical/physical, and chemical control strategies
Interpret pest monitoring data and assess resistance risk
Evaluate pest control outcomes and maintain effective record-keeping
Analyze real case studies from Oregon and the broader U.S. involving resistance in weeds, insects, and diseases

How It Works

📅 Start Anytime (Self-paced, Online)
🎓 Earn 1 CEU (Oregon Department of Agriculture certified)
📝 Interactive Knowledge Checks to reinforce learning

Pesticide Resistance Series

This course is the fourth in a four-course series on Pesticide Resistance.

Meet Your Instructors

This course is taught by leading experts in pest management and pesticide resistance from Oregon State University’s Oregon IPM Center and Department of Horticulture:

👨‍🔬 Dr. Silvia I. Rondon – Director, Oregon IPM Center; Professor & Extension Entomology Specialist
👨‍🏫 Thomas A. Jima – Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Educator, Oregon IPM Center
🌱 Dr. Aaron Becerra-Alvarez – Assistant Professor of Weed Science, OSU Department of Horticulture

These instructors bring decades of experience in entomology, plant pathology, and integrated pest management, providing cutting-edge research and real-world applications tailored to professionals in Oregon and beyond.

Register Now & Protect Your Future

Preventing pesticide resistance is critical for long-term success in pest management. Don’t wait until resistance becomes a problem—take action today.

📌 Get started today!

This course was funded by the EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP))

This course was developed by the Oregon IPM Center in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

This course is 100% online and on-demand.

1 hour

Online

$35

Additional Information:
1 CORE ODA pesticide credit.
1 CEU - Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Integrated Pest Management

Instructors

Dr. Silvia I. Rondon

Silvia I. Rondon is the Director of the Oregon IPM Center at Oregon State University (OSU) and a Professor and Extension Entomology Specialist in the Department of Crop & Soil Science. She has served as Interim Director of OSU’s Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Silvia earned her B.A. and M.S. in Entomology from the Agraria University in Lima, Peru, and her Ph.D. in Crop Sciences with a major in Entomology and IPM, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2002, she worked as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Horticulture Department at the University of Florida and joined OSU in 2005. Her role encompasses research and extension, where she led the Irrigated Agricultural Entomology Program, securing over $35 million in private, state, and federal funding. Silvia’s expertise centers on IPM, focusing on insect ecology, insect distribution, population dynamics, insect-plant interactions, and biological and chemical control. She has collaborated with multiple commodity groups, including potatoes, grass seed, wheat, and high-value vegetables such as onions, sweet corn, hemp, and carrots. Her prolific work includes over 131 peer-reviewed scientific and extension papers, 13 book chapters, 158 non-peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, and reports; and numerous presentations, totaling over 311 across international, national, and regional platforms; and 174 invited extension presentations.

Thomas A. Jima

Thomas A. Jima is Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Educator at Oregon State University – Oregon IPM Center. He holds an M.S. in Plant Biology with a specialization in Plant Pathology, an M.S. in Entomology, along with a B.S. in Plant Sciences. With over 10 years of international experience, Thomas has worked as a specialist advisor in agricultural development, research, project management, capacity building, and clientele management, with a strong focus on Plant Protection and IPM.

Dr. Aaron Becerra-Alvarez

Dr. Aaron Becerra-Alvarez is an Assistant Professor of Weed Science in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University. His research and extension program aims to understand the plant-management-environment interactions and how we can use that knowledge to develop integrated weed management plans in the field, and improve integrated weed management knowledge among practitioners.

Past Students' Work

Take a look at some recent projects our students have created.

Pesticide Resistance Series: 4 Best Management Practices for Pesticide Resistance Online Course