Economic Threshold Calculator

Treat/no-treat from pest density and crop value.

Control cost ($/acre)

Crop price ($/unit)

Expected yield (units/acre)

Yield loss per pest (%)

Control efficacy (0-1)

Actual pest density

Tab to move between fields

Economic threshold (pests)

0.78

Treat? (1=Yes, 0=No)

Economic injury level1.05

Expected loss ($/acre)$90.00

Net benefit ($/acre)$64.50

Benefit-cost ratio6.38

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the pest species and crop type.
Set the current pest count per plant, row foot, or trap catch.
Input the commodity price and estimated yield loss per pest unit.
Review the economic threshold and whether current pest pressure exceeds the treatment trigger.
Only spray when pest pressure exceeds the economic threshold to preserve beneficial insects and reduce costs.

How the result changes with Crop price ($/unit)

Control cost ($/acre): Total treatment cost per acre (product + application).
Crop price ($/unit): Market price per bushel, pound, or hundredweight.
Expected yield (units/acre): Expected yield per acre in the same units as crop price.
Yield loss per pest (%): Percent yield loss caused by one pest per sampling unit.
Control efficacy (0-1): Expected kill rate of the pesticide (0.85 = 85% control).
Actual pest density: Current pest count per sampling unit from scouting.

Economic threshold (pests): Pest density at which treatment is economically justified.
Treat? (1=Yes, 0=No): 1 if actual density exceeds the economic threshold, 0 otherwise.
Economic injury level: Density where crop loss equals control cost. ET is ~75% of EIL.
Expected loss ($/acre): Projected crop loss at the current pest density without treatment.
Net benefit ($/acre): Loss avoided minus treatment cost. Positive = treatment is profitable.
Benefit-cost ratio: Ratio of loss avoided to treatment cost. Values >1 favor treatment.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Control cost ($/acre) = 12, Crop price ($/unit) = 5, Expected yield (units/acre) = 180, Yield loss per pest (%) = 2 = 6 input(s) provided
Calculate Economic threshold
0.78 = 0.78
Calculate Treat?
Treat?
1 = 1
Calculate Economic injury level
Economic injury level = economicThreshold / 0.75
1.05 = 1.05
Calculate Expected loss
Expected loss = actualPestDensity * damageFraction * cropValuePerAcre
90 = $90