Agricultural Science

Prevention and Control of Crop Pests

len Alfred Ajibola - Tue, 10th March, 2020 @ 12:31 PM

Topics in Agricultural Science

Types of agricultural practices Crop rotation explained Benefits of crop rotation Differences between subsistence and commercial farming Subsistence farming explained with its characteristics What is commercial farming? Types of commercial farming Characteristics of commercial farming Importance of forest: Forest reserves in Nigeria Wildlife reserves in Nigeria and its importance Prevention and Control of Crop Pests Economic Importance of Crop Pests Classification of Insect Pests and their Economic Importance Agricultural machines and their uses Causes of soil erosion Ways to prevent soil erosion Asexual Propagation in Plants, Types and Examples Differences between gymnosperms and angiosperms Scheme of Work, Agricultural Science, SS1, First Term Scheme of Work, Agricultural Science, SS1, Second Term Scheme of Work, Agricultural Science, SS1, Third Term


Academic Questions in Agricultural Science

Please click here to see all Questions and Answers

All plants are crops.

  • A. True

  • B. False

In agriculture, macronutrients are essential nutrients required by plants. Which of the following is not a macronutrient?

  • A. Zinc

  • B. Sulphur

  • C. Calcium

  • D. Phosphorus

  • E. Potassium

  • F. Magnesium

Which of the following is false concerning micronutrients?

  • A. They are non-essential nutrients

  • B. They are required by plants in minute quantities

  • C. Iron is a micronutrient

  • D. Chlorine is a micronutrient

  • E. Copper is a micronutrient

  • F. Boron is a micronutrient

_____ is a term that describes the biological, chemical and cultural control tactics employed to make pest management economical, environmentally friendly and socially acceptable.

  • A. Integrated Pest Management

  • B. Integral Pest Management

  • C. International Pest Management

  • D. Inclusive Pest Management

  • E. Imbibed Pest Management

  • F. Inclusion Pest Management

Cordage is made from _____ crop.

  • A. Food

  • B. Fibre

  • C. Ornamental

  • D. Oil

  • E. Cash

  • F. Vegetables and Spice

_____ is defined as the solid and arable part of the earth where agricultural activities are be carried out.

  • A. Soil

  • B. Farmland

  • C. Agricultural land

  • D. Biosphere

  • E. Open land

  • F. Planting and grazing land

Gymnosperms and angiosperms are seed bearing plants under the division spermatophyta?

  • A. True

  • B. False

Which of the following is false concerning gymnosperms?

  • A. Cones are present

  • B. Sepals are present

  • C. Petals are absent

  • D. Only seeds are produced

  • E. Sporophyll form the cones

  • F. In seed formation, the ovules aren't present in the ovary


Prevention and Control of Pest:

Prevention of crop pest refers to the various steps taken to keep crops intact (when they are yet to be attacked by pests). They are therefore done to prevent pests from acting on crops and other agricultural products.

The control of crop pest refers to the various actions taken by the farmer to minimize or stop the actions of pests (already acting) on agricultural produce.

Please read on the agricultural pests and the crops they attack here.


Crop pests can be prevented and controlled through a variety of methods. These are:


1. Physical Control

This process involves the physical or mechanical removal of pest from an agricultural land via various techniques such as:

  • Hand picking.
  • Setting of traps to catch rats and rodents.
  • Fencing the farmland.
  • Use of guns to kill monkeys.
  • Contaminating food with poisons to kill certain pest; for instance, rodents.

Please read on agricultural tools and their uses here.


2. Biological Control

This method of pest control require the use of animals (or other organisms) that act as a natural enemy to pest. By nature, these animals enjoy eliminating pest. The animals used in biological control of pests typically act as a predator, parasitoid or pathogen to the appropriate pest.

You can read on amazing facts in biology here.

Below are some examples of the biological control of pests:

  • Placing hen in a farmland to eat insects. The hen acts as a predator to various insects. In this regard, crops planted on the farmland should not be a meal to the hen, for example, maize.
  • Putting parasitic wasps on a farmland to infect aphids and their eggs. They also infect and kill caterpillar worms, moth larvae, elm leaf beetle, giant whitefly, mealybugs and lace bugs.
  • The proliferation of the European rabbit (a pest in Australia) can be controlled by introduction of myxoma virus. The virus causes a disease termed myxomatosis to the rabbits, ultimately leading to their deaths.
    Please read on various agricultural terms and meanings here.

Note: Any new method to be implemented in the biological control of pest must be carefully analysed and considered before they are released into the environment. This is done to prevent an attack on useful and other harmless organisms within the environment.

Please read on the economic importance of crop pests here.


3. Chemical Control

Chemical control of pest involves the use of toxic substances (chemicals) to eliminate pest within an environment. Such toxic substances or chemicals are generally referred to as pesticides. These pesticides can take different forms; that is; they can exist in liquid, powdered, granular or gaseous forms respectively.

Please read on agricultural pest and crops attacked here.

In summary, chemical control of pest involves the use of:

  • Pesticides: A chemical generally used to kill pests.
  • Insecticides: A chemical that kills insect.
  • Fungicides: A chemical that kills fungi.
  • Avicides: A chemical used for killing birds.
  • Rodenticides: A chemical used for killing rodents.
  • Nematicides: A chemical that kills nematode.

4. Cultural Control

Cultural control of pest is a method that requires the application of various farm practices to control pest. The application of these farm practices functions to interrupt the life cycle of the pest; thus significantly decreasing their proliferation on agricultural land.

You can read on agricultural land and its uses here.

The various farm practices that interrupts the life cycle of pests include:

  • Crop rotation
  • Bush fallowing
  • Regular weeding
  • Use of disease resistant seeds
  • Strategic planting dates
  • Timely harvesting

Please read on the differences between plants and crops here.

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Amazing facts in Agricultural Science

Cows technically have one stomach, not four. However, a cow's stomach has four compartments. These are: rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum

Peanuts are legumes and not nuts

Although plants neither see nor hear, they can recognize their siblings and even give them preferential treatments

Squirrels do plant more trees (through their actions) than an average human in their lifetime. They often hide their acorns and nuts underground and forget about them

Cows have got the ability to walk up stairs, but not down stairs

A group of cows is called a team, drove or herd.

People just prefer to call them herd


NOTABLE POINTS IN Agricultural Science

Below are the classification of crops based on their uses:

  • Oil crops

  • Vegetable crops

  • Latex crops

  • Drug and Medicinal crops

  • Beverage crops

  • Fibre crops

  • Fruit crops

  • Root and Tubers

  • Legumes

  • Spices

  • Cereals

All crops are plants but not all plants are crops. Below are some instances:

  • Weeds are considered as plants, not crops.

  • Parasitic plants are not necessarily crops. Examples of parasitic plants include mistletoe, corpse flower and striga.

  • Carnivorous or insectivorous plants are not necessarily crops. Examples are sundew, venus flytrap and pitcher plant. The image below shows a carnivorous plant (venus flytrap).

Venus flytrap - Len Academy

 

Meanwhile, always understand that all crops are plants, and they are grown for food, money or something beneficial.

Please read on plants versus crops here

Below are some of the problems of agriculture in Nigeria:

  • Lack of mechanized farming

  • Poor government policies

  • High cost of fertilizers

  • Lack of education

  • Lack of storage facilities

  • Bad road network

  • Poor research facilities

Please read a detailed explanation on the problems of agriculture in Nigeria here.

Secateurs are agricultural tools.

Secateurs - Len Academy

  • Secateurs are also referred to as pruning shears or hand pruners.

  • It looks like a pair of scissors.

  • It’s used for trimming flowers and leaves.

  • It is also used for pruning the branches of shrubs.

An example of an agricultural tool is the hoe. It is shown below:

Hoe - Len Academy

  • We have a variety of hoes.

  • They are generally used for tilling the soil.

  • They are used for making trenches in farmlands.

  • A hoe is utilized in harvesting crops like yam and cocoyam

  • They are also used for cutting weeds on farmlands.

Please read on agricultural tools and their uses here