Kye AuClaire
ABS 360
Topic 9 – Pests and Pest Management
Pest
oOrganism that adversely effects the plants we want to grow
oMan defined term
White flies are native to AZ
3 KINDS OF PESTS
oWeeds
oInsects
oPlant Pathogens
Weeds
oAny plant that is growing in an undesirable location
oCommon: Cheese weed – grows in winter
Mustard Weeds – summer annuals – prostate spurge
Perennial Weeds – nut sage or grass in turf
Bermuda Grass – can be very serious
Insects
o3 groups based on mouth parts
Chewing mouth parts – caterpillar
Chew holes into leaves or entire leaf
Cause damage to flowers or roots
Others are beetles and fly larvae
oMediterranean fruit fly
Aphids – sucking piecing mouth pieces
Suck out sugars
Stunting of plants, honeydoo, stickiness
White flies and scale insects
oWhite flies can attack wide range of plants
5:54
Rasping Insects
Thrips – eat tops off of leaves
Cause dead areas in leaves
Mites – not insects but arthropods, can also cause problems like in
Evergreens
Heart rot is a plant disease
Plant Pathogens – cause diseases
oFungi are most common plant pathogen
oMistletoe and eel worms
oAbnormal symptoms
Death of tissue
Blights – fruit or leaf spots, dead leaves
Abnormal coloration, yellowing of leaves
Mosaic pattern, yellow, green, white coloration disease
Wilts – pathological wilts, when watering the plants they don’t recover
Growth abnormalities
Galls, stunting of plants
Puckering of leaves, fruits can be abnormal
oSigns of pathogen
Shelf fungi
Common diseases ; mildew and rust
oSpray and Pray
Chemical Spray
Bad for environment, bad for peoples health
oPest management
Mechanical and Cultural Methods
Clap rotation – ancient times
Pruning out diseased parts, washing off insects with water
New methods, yellow sticky board traps
Biological controls
Used for insects as a group
Predatory insects like lady bug, eat aphids and white flies
oLace wing larvae and praying mantis, assassin bugs
Use of pathogens that effect the pests
oCommon is the disease of caterpillars – BT
Powder or spray
Roses are very susceptible
Using resistant plants – 3rd method
Control plant diseases
Root disease – Texas root rot
oNative plants can be tolerant
oGrasses and agave are totally resistant; 14:45
Can tell if its resistant by the label on the package
Inspection Stations – regulatory type pf control – 4th method
Inspection at border
Certain quarantines of plants
Medfly is off limits
Chemicals in pest management
Last resort
Considered a pesticide
Selectivity
oHerbicides – some kill all vegetation
Some can be used in lawn that kill weeds not turf
oWill it attack what you’re trying to get rid of?
Persistence
oSome are in environment for 24 hours, some longer or
shorter
oContact pesticides
Must touch the pest to kill it
oSystemic Pesticides
In the plant, can not wash out
2 types
