MULUNGUSHI UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

AGC 332 CROP DISEASES MANAGEMENT

SEMESTER II: FINAL EXAMINATION

BSc Agric

JUNE 2019

TOTAL MARKS: 100 TIME ALLOWED: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1. There are seven (7) questions in this paper. Answer any five (5).

2. Each question carries 20 marks.

3. Enter your student number on the front page of the answer book. Your name must not appear

anywhere in your answer book.

4. Do not write in pencil, except for graphs and diagrams.

5. No calculator is allowed in this examination.

6. Please write legibly.

Page 1 of 3
QUESTION 1 (20 marks)

a. Assume you are carrying out a crop diseases survey in Nakonde, Muchinga Province. During your
field visits you suspect an outbreak of Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND). How would you be
certain about your suspicion and what control measures would you recommend to farmers?
[10 marks]

b. Triticum Aestivum and Zea mays belong to the family Poaceae. These crops tend to be attacked
by similar diseases. If need be, in which of the two crops mentioned would you recommend that
a farmer uses chemicals as a strategy for managing and/or controlling plant diseases? Give
reasons for your answer. [10 marks]

QUESTION 2 (20 marks)

Discuss in detail five (5) management strategies for post-harvest diseases in crops.
[20 marks]

QUESTION 3 (20 marks)

Plants have developed a complex defense system against diverse disease-causing pathogens. To
what extent can major resistance genes provide durable resistance to plant diseases?
[20 marks]

QUESTION 4 (20 marks)

a) Why are plant diseases important? [5 marks]

b) Discuss the plant disease triangle. [5 marks]
c) Differentiate between curative and preventive modes of action with respect to fungicides.
[5 marks]
d) Describe the movement of a xylem-mobile systemic fungicide in the plant. [5 marks]

QUESTION 5 (20 marks)

Using a disease of your choice, clearly discuss the following;

a) Transmission and epidemiology of the disease. [5 marks]

b) The symptoms associated with the disease. [5 marks]
c) Management strategies for the disease. [10 marks]

Page 2 of 3
QUESTION 6 (20 marks)

a) List any four (4) examples of diseases classified as “Plant Diseases of Phytosanitory and
Economic Importance in the SADC Region”. [4 marks]

b) List any four (4) functions or roles of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)?
[4 marks]
c) Discuss the importance of disease forecasting and monitoring in the management of crop
diseases. [12 marks]

QUESTION 7 (20 marks)

a) Using clear examples, discuss the demerits of breeding for resistance as a strategy in plant disease
management. [8 marks]
b) Define the following terms as they apply to plant disease management;
i. Disease incidence [4 marks]
ii. Disease prevalence [4 marks]
iii. Disease severity [4 marks]

Page 3 of 3