General Prevention and Control of Crop Pests

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In today’s Agricultural Science class, We will be learning about Control of Crop Pests. We hope you enjoy the class!

 

 

CONTENT

• Physical control
• Chemical control
• Biological control
• Cultural control

 

METHODS OF PEST CONTROL

Crop pests can be prevented or controlled through the following methods:

1. Physical control
2. Cultural control
3. Biological control
4. Chemical control

 

PHYSICAL CONTROL

This involves the physical removal of pests by:

1. Hand-picking of insects and larvae
2. Setting traps to catch rodents
3. Shooting rodents with gun
4. Fencing around the farm with wire nets.
5. Use of scarecrow.

 

EVALUATION

1. List the methods of pest control
2. List three ways by which pests can be removed physically

 

CULTURAL CONTROL

This method involves the use of farm practices to prevent or control pests, examples of cultural control are:

1. Practising crop rotation
2. Use of pest-resistant varieties of crops
3. Appropriate tillage operations
4. Burning crop residues
5. Timely planting of crops
6. Proper weeding or sanitation
7. Timely harvesting
8. Close season practices (no living plant is allowed for a certain period).

 

 

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

This involves the introduction of natural enemies of pests to control or keep the pests population under control. Such enemies eat up or feed on these pests, thereby reducing the population of the pests.

 

EVALUATION

1. List two cultural control of pests
2. Explain biological pest control

 

CHEMICAL CONTROL

 

 

This involves the use of a chemical called pesticides to control pest of crop plants. Examples of pesticides are insecticide, rodenticide, avicide etc.

Examples of chemicals used to control pests are:

1. Insecticides – for controlling insect pest e.g. grasshopper
2. Rodenticides – chemical control for rodents such as rats
3. Avicides – for controlling bird pest
4. Nematicides – a chemical used to control nematodes. E.g. worms

 

FORMS OR GROUPS OF INSECTICIDES

The four groups and the mode of action are:

Group	Mode of action
1.    Powder	Contact
2.    Liquid	Systemic
3.    Granules	Stomach (Ingestion)
4.    Gas	Fumigation

 

SIDE EFFECT OF THE VARIOUS PREVENTIVE AND CONTROL METHOD OF DISEASE AND PEST OF CROPS

Use of these control methods have their effect, these effects include

1. Death of some beneficial insect and soil organism, toxic exposure to animals and man, chemical residue in the environment, washing away of chemicals into aquatic life etc. when chemical control method is employed.
2. Organisms introduced may attack cultivated crops or stored grains, predators might not feed on targeted pest and deviate to feeding on beneficial organisms, the activities of new organism might cause an ecosystem imbalance when biological control method is employed.
3. When cultural control method is employed, the use of bush burning method might get out of hand thereby destroying soil structure, spread to other farms, loss of organic matter and lead to the death of beneficial microbes.

 

GENERAL EVALUATION

1. What are insecticides?
2. List the three forms of insecticides and their mode of action
3. What are avicides, rodenticide and nematicides are used to control
4. List five economic importance of crop pests.

 

READING ASSIGNMENT

Revision question 10, 14 and 16 Essential agricultural science for senior secondary schools chapter 26, pages 247-248.

SECTION A

List two side effects each of using

1. Cultural control of pests
2. Biological control of pests
3. Chemical control of pests
4. Physical control of pests

 

 

We have come to the end of this class. We do hope you enjoyed the class?

Should you have any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.

We have come to the end of this term. It’s been a remarkable journey and we are glad that you have made it this far. For making it this far, we commend you for being resilient, you have taken charge of your education and future.

The Journey still continues though, we are moving on to SS2 Third Term. we hope to meet you there. 

 

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