Course Description
This course builds on basic pest and crop sciences and synthesizes complete insect pest management programs for specific crop systems in the Southeastern U.S. Lecture and laboratory training will be provided for row crop, vegetable, and ornamental production systems, with an emphasis on entomology.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to perform the following
additional assignments. 1) The graduate student must conduct the
entire laboratory project independently (not in a group as
permitted in the syllabus for undergraduates). 2) The graduate
student must be able to defend the study project in an
additional question and answer period at the end of the oral
presentation to demonstrate competency in the study area. 3)
The graduate student’s written presentation of the project must
demonstrate scientific journal quality, thus being graded at a
higher standard.
Athena Title
Crop-Specific Insect Manage
Non-Traditional Format
Offered in Tifton.
Prerequisite
BIOL 1107-1107L or PBIO 1210 or CHEM 1211
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
CRSS 2010-2010L or HORT 2000 or ENTO 3740-3740L
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
(1) Students will acquire in-depth knowledge of pest management based on current literature that can be used to implement comprehensive IPM programs for specific crops within vegetable, agronomic, and ornamental production systems. (2) Students will develop skills in insect pest identification, crop damage classification, selection of pest control tactics, and application of IPM decision criteria. (3) Students will manage a crop and associated pests through individually applied field and greenhouse projects in the laboratory portion of the course.
Topical Outline
I. Introduction to IPM and Crop Management II. Vegetable Crops A. Solanaceous, Cucurbit and Cole Crop Insect Management 1) Pest Identification and classification 2) Selection of control tactics 3) Developing IPM decision criteria III. Agronomic Crops A. Tobacco, Cotton and Soybean Insect Management 1) Pest Identification and classification 2) Selection of control tactics 3) Developing IPM decision criteria III. Ornamental Crops A. Greenhouse and Nursery Grown Ornamentals 1) Pest Identification and classification 2) Selection of control tactics 3) Developing IPM decision criteria Example Class Schedule (based on 45 50-minute lectures) 1. Introduction to the diversity of crop-specific insect pests and a simple model for IPM 2. Pest identification (ID) - an overview of basic insect taxonomy 3. Control tactics - an overview of insect management tactics available 4. Decision criteria - economic injury level, economic threshold and management time-lines 5. Solanaceous crop systems and insect pest ID 6. Cucurbit crop systems and insect pest ID 7. Cole crop systems and insect pest ID 8. After Quiz- Introduction to control tactics relative to crop economics (20 min. quiz) 9. Control tactics for Solanaceous crop insect pests - specific examples 10. Control tactics for Cucurbit crop insect pests - specific examples 11. Control tactics for Cole crop insect pests - specific examples 12. Vegetable IPM sampling/scouting 13. Vegetable IPM decision criteria relative to economic injury levels 14. Vegetable IPM decision criteria - practical examples with class involvement 15. First Term Exam: Covering general IPM, pest problem solving, and vegetable insects 16. Introduction to IPM in large scale agronomic crops 17. Tobacco crop systems and insect pest ID 18. Cotton crop systems and insect pest ID 19. Soybean crop systems and insect pest ID 20. After Quiz- overview of the history of IPM (20 min. quiz). 21. Control tactics for tobacco insect pests - examples 22. Control tactics for cotton insect pests - examples 23. Control tactics for soybean insect pests - examples 24. Sampling methods/scouting in soybeans 25. Soybean IPM decision criteria - specific examples 26. Cotton IPM decision criteria - specific examples 27. Tobacco IPM decision criteria - specific examples 28. Oral presentation of student lab projects 29. Oral presentation of student lab projects 30. Second Term Exam: Covering agronomic crops, sampling, and IPM history 31. Introduction to ornamental crops in the USA and other countries 32. Pest management in greenhouses 33. Pest management in nurseries 34. Ornamental arthropod pest ID in greenhouses 35. Ornamental arthropod pest ID in nurseries 38. After Quiz- beneficial versus pest insect species in ornamentals (20 min. quiz) 39. Ornamental control tactics - biocontrol 40. Ornamental control tactics - host plant resistance 41. Ornamental control tactics - cultural, physical, regulatory 42. Ornamental control tactics - chemical 43. Ornamental IPM decision criteria 44. Ornamental IPM decision criteria - practical examples with class involvement 45. Turn in Lab projects and final oral presentations Final Exam: All material covered (30%) with emphasis on ornamental crops (70%) Grade based on the following: First term exam ____ (20%) Second term exam ____ (20%) Final exam ____ (20%) first quiz ____ (5%) second quiz ____ (5%) third quiz ____ (5%) oral presentation of lab project ____ (5%) written presentation of project ____ (15%) Class and lab participation ____ (5%) {possible extra credit associated with the lab projects} Example Laboratory Schedule (based on one 2-hour lab per week each Thursday) 1. Visit field and/or greenhouse work areas, select crops and projects by teams 2. Set Up Specific Crop IPM Studies {note: 50% group effort and 50% individual effort} 3. Pest ID Lab 1 - vegetable arthropod pests 4. Pest Control Tactic Lab 1 - chemical control, applicators, and safety issues 5. Work on Specific IPM Crop Studies - evaluate progress of Lab projects 6. Pest ID Lab 2 - agronomic arthropod pests 7. Work on Specific IPM Crop Studies - begin to summarize Lab projects 8. Exercise Scouting, Sampling Techniques, and Economic thresholds 9. Pest Control Lab 2 - host plant resistance 10. Visit commercial field sites 11. Pest ID Lab 3 - major ornamental arthropod pests 12. Greenhouse and/or nursery IPM project 13. Pest Control Lab 3 - biological control 14. Work on Specific IPM Crop Studies 15. Finalize Laboratory Project Reports The project will involve conducting a IPM program on a crop of the student's choice, with the student involved with and documenting the cultivation as it relates to IPM, scouting for insect pests, collection and preservation of insect pests, selection and integration of pest control tactics, developing pest management decision criteria or a complete IPM program for a given crop. Even though working as groups, the final reports will have only the (2) Materials and Method, (3) Analysis and Results, and (5) Reference List sections as a group effort, the (1) Introduction and (4) Summary and Conclusion sections be submitted individually and cannot be duplicated between group members. The report will serve as a guide for future projects and therefore will need to be comprehensive and fully referenced. Possible projects are as follows (other projects will have to be approved by the instructor): 1. Develop / validate an IPM program for a crop. 2. Develop a pest ID system for a crop. 3. Economically compare pest control tactics. 4. Economically compare pest decision criteria. 5. Develop / validate an economic threshold. 6. Demonstrate pest interactions affecting an EIL. 7. Develop / validate and an environmental EIL 8. Insect - pathogen interactions 9. Insect - weed interactions 10. Pest control economics - List of Books and References
Syllabus