CAC Pest Management & Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 3

Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

Rotation changes soil pH, making the environment hostile to rootworm larvae

Answer

Rotation increases beneficial nematode populations that parasitize rootworm eggs

Answer

Rootworm adults do not fly and cannot colonize new fields after rotation

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Planting SCN-resistant varieties combined with crop rotation

Answer

Broad-spectrum fumigant nematicide applications before planting

Answer

Biological control using predatory nematodes

Answer

Deep tillage to bury nematode eggs below the root zone

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)

Answer

The Clean Water Act (CWA)

Answer

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

Yellow, water-soaked lesions on leaf undersides with white fungal sporulation

Answer

Dark green, water-soaked leaf spots that turn brown with yellow halos

Answer

Pale green tunnels running through leaf tissue between leaf surfaces

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Predict timing of pest life stages to optimize management intervention windows

Answer

Calculate the total pesticide dosage needed based on seasonal temperature

Answer

Determine crop yield loss based on cumulative heat units lost to pest damage

Answer

Estimate pesticide breakdown rates in soil based on temperature accumulation

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

To demonstrate to clients that they received value for consulting fees paid

Answer

To provide insurance companies with documentation for crop loss claims

Answer

To prevent neighboring farms from filing nuisance complaints about spray drift

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

A pest that migrates from an adjacent field after a neighboring farm's pesticide application

Answer

A pest population that re-infests a treated field from overwintering refuges within 30 days

Answer

A pest that develops chemical resistance and returns in higher numbers after treatment