Agronomy Pest and Weed Management

Question 1

What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

Accepted Answer

A strategy combining biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical controls to minimize economic damage

Answer

IPM uses a combination of methods—biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical—to manage pests economically while minimizing environmental impact.

Question 2

What is an 'economic threshold' in pest management?

Accepted Answer

The pest density at which control action must be taken to prevent economic loss

Answer

The economic threshold is the pest population level at which the cost of crop damage equals the cost of control, triggering a management decision.

Question 3

Which weed management practice uses crop competition to suppress weed growth?

Accepted Answer

Increasing crop seeding rate and narrow row spacing

Answer

Increasing seeding rate and using narrow rows promote faster crop canopy closure, shading weeds and limiting their access to light and resources.

Question 4

Palmer amaranth is considered one of the most problematic weeds in US row crops primarily because of what?

Accepted Answer

It has evolved resistance to multiple herbicide modes of action and grows extremely fast

Answer

Palmer amaranth grows up to 2–3 inches per day, produces hundreds of thousands of seeds, and has developed resistance to herbicides including glyphosate.

Question 5

What does 'mode of action' refer to for a herbicide?

Accepted Answer

The biochemical pathway or enzyme in the plant the herbicide disrupts

Answer

A herbicide's mode of action describes the specific site (enzyme, protein, or process) in the plant that it inhibits to cause plant death.

Agronomy Practice Test

Agronomy Practice Test

Agronomy Pest and Weed Management