Module 12: Pests and Pest Management

Question 1

why do we need pest management?

Answer 1

• Economic and food security
• Human health and mycotoxins
• Maintain food quality standards
• Reduce soil tillage

Question 2

what are some benefits of conventional tillage?

Answer 2

• buries weed seeds and destroys weeds
• buries fungal and bacterial pathogens
• removes crop residues that can serve as habitats for pests

Question 3

what are some negatives of conservation tillage?

Answer 3

• no seeds are buried causing significant weed pressure
• crop residues left behind bringing in overwintering places for bacteria and fungal pathogens

Question 4

what surface level can weeds survive? what surface level can they not?

Answer 4

• 0-2 inches
• 4-6 inches

Question 5

what are some benefits of conservation tillage?

Answer 5

• increase soil organic matter content over time
• soil quality is maintained or increased
• lower fuel costs once established

Question 6

what are some negatives to conventional tillage?

Answer 6

• decreased soil organic matter, reduces soil quality over time, higher fuel costs

Question 7

what are some benefits of pesticides as a pest management tool?

Answer 7

• when control options are limited
• for the health and comfort of farmers

Question 8

what are some benefits to using herbicides preplant and preemergence?

Answer 8

• prevents crop failure
• uses a smaller amount of chemicals

Question 9

benefits of using IPM in ecology of pests

Answer 9

Overwintering strategy
Life-cycles
Natural predators

Question 10

benefits of using IPM in ecology of crops

Answer 10

• Growth habits and intercropping alternatives
• Fertility and water needs
• Key pests and beneficial organism
• Resistant or tolerant cultivars (to pests or other stressors, like drought or high temperatures)

Question 11

how does early detection work in IPM?

Answer 11

• Trap and collect
• Identify
• Calculate pest density (# of individuals per area)
• Analyze for trends

Question 12

how do you make habitats less favorable to pests?

Answer 12

• Conventional rotation
• Sod-based rotation

Question 13

prevention control methods

Answer 13

• Clean field equipment
• Purchase disease free seed
• Choose pest-resistant crop varieties
• Make habitat less or more favorable to beneficial organisms

Question 14

conventional management of pests

Answer 14

Monitoring, identification, chemical control

Question 15

integrated pest management

Answer 15

Prevention, monitoring, identification, least toxic intervention, evaluation, chemical control

Question 16

what are some benefits to using pesticides?

Answer 16

• health benefits (reduce diseases)
• agricultural benefits (more food on less land, pollinators)
• environmental benefits (control non-native plants, water quality improvement)
• structural (termites)
• rights-of-way benefits (improve roadways)
• trade commodity benefits (prevent transport of harmful pests)
• recreational benefits (tourism)

Question 17

what is integrated pest management?

Answer 17

IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties.

Question 18

how does IPM work?

Answer 18

• ## IPM focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage by managing the ecosystem

Question 19

what are the 6 components of an IPM program?

Answer 19

1. Pest identification
2. Monitoring and assessing pest numbers and damage
3. Guidelines for when management action is needed
4. Preventing pest problems
5. Using a combination of biological, cultural, physical/mechanical and chemical management tools
6. After action is taken, assessing the effect of pest management

Question 20

what are some disadvantages to using Bt pesticides?

Answer 20

• susceptible to degradation by sunlight
• very specific so can limit use
• does not kill rapidly so many will think it is ineffective
• shorter shelf-life