Pest Management & Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Flashcards

Corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp.) is effectively managed through crop rotation because:

Answer: Rootworm eggs laid in corn fields hatch into larvae that cannot survive without corn roots

Corn rootworm has a narrow host range; larvae that hatch in a rotated field (non-corn) find no suitable host plant and starve, making crop rotation one of the most effective management tools.

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) management programs primarily rely on which IPM strategy?

Answer: Planting SCN-resistant varieties combined with crop rotation

SCN-resistant soybean varieties combined with crop rotation to non-host crops (like corn or wheat) is the most effective and economical IPM approach for reducing SCN populations and damage.

Which federal law primarily governs the registration, sale, distribution, and use of pesticides in the United States?

Answer: The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

FIFRA is the primary federal statute governing all aspects of pesticide regulation in the U.S., requiring registration of pesticides by the EPA before they can be legally sold or distributed.

A CAC is scouting for spider mites in a strawberry field during hot, dry weather. Which characteristic would confirm the presence of a two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) infestation?

Answer: Stippled, bronzed leaf upper surfaces with webbing and tiny moving dots on leaf undersides

Two-spotted spider mites feed on the underside of leaves, causing stippling and bronzing on the upper surface; webbing on undersides and visible mites confirm the infestation.

Degree-day (growing degree day) models are used in pest management to:

Answer: Predict timing of pest life stages to optimize management intervention windows

Degree-day models track accumulated heat units above a pest's developmental threshold to predict when specific life stages (egg hatch, adult emergence) will occur, allowing precise timing of management actions.

What is the most important reason a Certified Agricultural Consultant should keep detailed pesticide application records?

Answer: To comply with legal requirements, support resistance management, and inform future IPM decisions

Pesticide application records are legally required under FIFRA for restricted-use pesticide applications, and they also provide critical data for tracking resistance patterns and optimizing future IPM programs.

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'secondary pest outbreak' in pest management?

Answer: A previously minor pest species that becomes economically damaging after pesticides eliminate its natural enemies

Secondary pest outbreaks occur when pesticides used against a primary pest also kill natural enemies that were suppressing a minor pest, allowing the formerly minor pest to increase to economically damaging levels.