3.3 Crop Protection Flashcards
(24 cards)
Identify the three main biotic factors that reduce crop productivity
- Weeds
- Animals
- Diseases
State the two types of weed
- Annual
- Perennial
Define ‘weed’
a plant species that competes with crop plants reducing crop productivity
Describe the key characteristics of an annual weed
- Rapid growth
- Short lifecycle
- High seed output
- Long-term viability of seeds
Describe the key characteristics of an perennial weed
- Storage organs
- Vegetative propagation
- Regrows every year
Give examples of animal crop pests
- Insects
- Nematode worms
- Molluscs
Molluscs are snails and slugs
Explain how animal pests damage crops
They eat crops and reduce crop productivity
What causes plant disease?
Fungi, bacteria or viruses
How are plant diseases transmitted?
Carried by invertebrates
State the three methods of crop protection
- Cultural control
- Chemical control
- Biological control
Describe the three types of cultural control of crop pests
- Ploughing
- Weeding
- Crop rotation
Crop rotation different types of crops are grown in a field each year
Describe how chemical control protects crops
Uses pesticides - which are chemicals that kill pests
State the five types of pesticide
- Herbicide
- Fungicide
- Insecticide
- Molluscicide
- Nematicide
Each kills what the name implies
Define ‘selective pesticide’
A pesticide that has a greater effect on certain plant species (broad leaved weeds).
Define ‘systemic pesticide’
A systemic pesticide will affect any organism within the category of that pesticide
Explain how a systemic herbicide works
spreads through vascular system of plant and prevents regrowth
Explain how a systemic insecticides, molluscicides and nematicides works
spread through the vascular system of plants and kill pests feeding on plants
Explain why fungicides require disease forecasting
Application of fungicide is more effective before infection than treating diseased crops
State the four issues with pesticide
- Toxicity to non-target species
- Persistence in the environment
- Bioaccumulation or Biomagnification
- Producing resistant populations of pests
Define ‘bioaccumulation’
build-up of a chemical in an organism
Can be pesticide in the context of crop protection
Define ‘biomagnification’
an increase in the concentration of a chemical moving between trophic levels.
Can be pesticide in the context of crop protection
Define ‘biological control’
control agent is a natural predator, parasite or pathogen of the pest.
e.g. get one living thing to kill the other living thing eating the crop
List the four potential issues with biological control
- Invasive species
- Parasite to other species
- Predator to other species
- Pathogen of other species
Define ‘integrated pest management’
a combination of chemical, biological and cultural control
