Major problems with evaluating multiple stress factors in agriculture

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Abstract
A major need for interdisciplinary IPM specialists has been access to methods for understanding the combined effects of multiple pests which, in nature, act simultaneously. Development of the Soybean Integrated Crop Management (SICM) model has potential for offering such a method. The physiologically‐based, validated soybean plant growth model at the core of SICM has provided a framework for coupling effects of multiple stresses at a process level. Combined stress effects from water and three insect species are presented in real economic context relative to soybean growers. The framework is now in place for adding stresses from weeds, foliar pathogens and nematodes. This approach offers insights into the experimental designs, analyses and potential uses of integrated pest management strategies developed by interdisciplinary scientists; yet, major problems exist in acquisition of model validation data. Conceptual and experimental dilemmas associated with these type efforts are outlined herein.