Plant Pests

Margaret Chapman
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
AgEd 410
Spring 1999
Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office
July, 2002

Four main groups of plant pests:

1. Weeds
2. Invertebrates
3. Vertebrates
4. Disease Agents

Plant Pests
* Organisms that compete with
people for food or fiber, interfere with
raising our crops and livestock.
* Proper identification is important
in controlling pests.

Weeds
* Undesirable plants, sometimes
defined as any plant growing out of
place.
* Adapt well to local
climates and soils and
can compete successfully
with cultivated plants.

* Most weeds
produce a large
number of seeds.
* Some weed seeds
can remain dormant
for 20 years before
germinating.

* Weeds can be persistent and difficult

to eradicate, because some have
vegetative means of reproduction in
addition to seeds.

* Weeds compete with

agricultural crops for
water, nutrients, light
and space.

* Weeds can interfere with farming

operations, and can harbor insects
and plant diseases.
* Some weeds are toxic to livestock.

* A simple way to identify

weeds is to compare them
to colored photographs and
drawings.
* Become familiar with
plant classification system
and the weeds physical
features, developmental
stages,and life cycles.

* We will discuss
weed and other pest
control measures in
upcoming lessons.

Invertebrate Pests
* Includes insects and their relatives,
nematodes, snails and slugs.
* Invertebrate signifies animals
without backbones (no vertebrate).

* Insects have three body parts: head,

thorax and abdomen and six legs.

* Ticks, mites and spiders have only

two body parts and eight legs.
Spider

Tick

Mite

* Nematodes are a large group of

unsegmented worms that can be
plant parasites.

* Snails and slugs are mollusks that

prefer cool, moist surroundings.

Vertebrates
* Animals with backbones
* Includes fish ,amphibians, reptiles,
birds and mammals.
* Most of our concern is with birds
and mammals.

Pest birds
* Harbor pathogens, disease
causing organisms
* Eat or damage crops
* Cause damage to buildings
* Make too much noise

* Rodents are mammals that interfere

with people, or cause harm to crops
and livestock.

* Animal pests are similar to weeds,

those that are out of place are considered
pests.

Most of our vertebrate problems

are caused from:
* Rats

* Mice

* Squirrels

Disease Agents
* Cause disease in plants and animals.
* Many are submicroscopic, making
identification difficult.
* If you cant see the pest, then it may
be identified by the type of symptoms
caused or damage done.

* Included in this group of pests are:

1. Bacteria

Bacterial citrus canker

symptoms on citrus leaves

2. Fungi

* Scab symptoms on

orange fruit caused by the

fungus Elsinoe fawcetti

3. Viruses
* Potato Virus on

veins and shoots

* Citrus tristeza Virus

on grapefruit

Problems growers face

* Energy, time and expense to combat
problems.
* Losses of food to our world food supply
can become disastrous.
* Farmers are focusing on controlling
pests while dealing with environmental
pollution problems.

* New methods and concepts continue to

evolve each day to keep our crops healthy
and abundant.