Crop Protection 3.3 Flashcards
What is crop growth affected by
Weeds, invertebrates and diseases
How do weeds affect crop growth
Unwanted plants that: Reduce productivity due to competition; release chemicals which inhibit growth of the crop; contaminate grain crops with their seeds; act as hosts for diseases and crop pests
What are 3 types of invertebrate
Insects, molluscs, nematode worms
What are plant diseases caused by
Bacteria, viruses, Fungi
What are the 2 types of weeds
Annual and Perennial
What are annual weeds
Colonise fields prior to crop growth by: fast growth rates, short life cycles, producing large numbers of seeds viable for long periods of time
What are perennial weeds
Live for more than 2 years; in possession of storage organs to provide food if growing conditions aren’t ideal; reproduce by vegetative reproduction
How can you control weeds, other pests and diseases
Cultural methods and chemical methods
What are cultural methods of protection
Non-chemical methods of preventing the problem organisms from establishing and affecting the crop
What are examples of cultural methods
Ploughing, weeding and crop rotation
What is ploughing
Top layer of soil is turned over to bury perennial weeds (which die and decompose)
What is weeding
Weeds are removed early in life of the crop, enabling the crop to get a head start and be better at out-competing weeds at a later point
