PLANT HEALTH: Learn to identify Plant Pest and Disease Problems and how to Manage Them
Government, nursery and private positions are more demanding then they ever were; employers are becoming increasingly selective choosing personnel with broad horticultural knowledge and less emphasis is placed on the 'learn on the job' approach of years gone by. Education is imperative if you expect to compete in this field and those that have the knowledge will also have the best chance of reaping the rewards.
- Learn to identify plant pest and disease problems
- Learn to evaluate a sick plant, and determine nutritional and environmental issues
- Study pest and disease control and managing plant health
- Expand your horticultural skills for improved career success in horticulture
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Introduction
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Pests
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Diseases
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Common terminology
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Diagnosing problems systematically
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Tell tale symptoms
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Conducting an inspection: four steps
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Pest or disease reviews
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Overview of Preventative Controls
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Introduction
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Methods of pest management
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Integrated pest management
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Cultural control
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Using disease resistant varieties
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Crop rotation
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Timed planting
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Mulching
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Cleanliness
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Biological control
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Types of biological controls
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Beneficial plants
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Trap or decoy plants
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Pheromone traps
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Physical controls
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Traps
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REpellants
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Mulching
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Pruning
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Wounds
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Chemical controls
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Understanding pesticides
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Safely storing chemicals
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Safely mixing chemicals
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Legalities
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Plant breeding for resistance
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Sources and causes of resistance
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Adaptability, resistance and pest variability
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Insecticides
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Types of insecticides: systemich, stomach poisons, contact poisons, etc
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Inorganics, botanicals, organophosphates, carbamates, synthetic pyrethroids
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Characteristics of insecticides: toxicity, spectrum, LD50, persistence, volatility, etc.
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Golden rules for handling pesticides
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Terminology
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Other Pesticides
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Chemical Pesticides: introduction
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Review of common pesticides
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Soil treatment for control of diseases
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Soil pests
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Types of fumigtants
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Systemic fungicides
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Comparative toxicities
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Spray Equipment
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Types of sprayers
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Uses of sprayers
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Spray terminology
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Sprayer maintenance and cleaning
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Selecting a sprayer
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Calibration
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Using chemicals: agitation, clean up and disposal
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Basic first aid with chemical pesticides
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Response to liquid or powder spills
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Keeping records
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Misters, Dusters, Blowers
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Pesticides and the environment
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Insect Biology
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Insect classification: orders, sub classes
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Insect anatomy: mouthparts, legs, etc
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Lifecycle
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Feeding habits
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Practical project: Insect collecting, preserving, identifying, for an insect collection
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Common insects that a gardener encounters
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Ants
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Aphis
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Beetles
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Borers
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Bugs
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Caterpillars
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Cockroaches
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Crickets
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Earwigs
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Fleas
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Flies
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Galls (caused by insects)
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Grasshoppers
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Ladybirds (good and bad)
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Leaf hoppers
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Leaf miners
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Lerps
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Mealy bug
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Mosquitos
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Scale insects
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Termites
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Thrips
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Wasps
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Whitefly
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Fungal Biology
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What causes disease
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Symptoms of disease
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Lifecycle of a disease: inoculation, penetration, infection, growth and reproduction, dissemination
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Fungi groups: obligate saprophytes, obligate parasites, facultative saprophytes, facultative parasites
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Expanded concept of tree decay
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Chemical pesticides in the UK and Europe
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Common diseases
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Anthracnose
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Bitter pit
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Blights
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Botrytis
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Canker
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Cinnamon fungus
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Club root
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Damping off
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Galls
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Gummosis
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Leaf curl
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Leaf spot
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Melanose
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Mildews
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Rots
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Rust
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Scab
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Silver leaf
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Spot
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Smut
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Sooty mould
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Wilts
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Environmental Problems
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Common environmental problems
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Foliage burns
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Pollution
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Lack of water
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Drainage problems
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Frost
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Hail
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Shade
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Temperature
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Wind
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Symptoms of nutritional deficiencies
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Air pollution
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The plant and water
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Non parasitic problems in turf (lawns)
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Ways to provide environmental protection to plants
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Viruses
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Overview
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Symptoms
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Detection and diagnosis of viruses
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Control
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Examples of virus diseases
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Nematodes, Molluscs and Crustaceans
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Overview
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Millipedes
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Plant nematodes
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Nematodes in citrus
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Red spider mites
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Spiders
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Slaters or wood lice
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Snails and slugs
Aims
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Identify the characteristics of pests and diseases of plants.
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Explain methods for the control of pests and diseases.
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Describe the characteristics of a range of different pesticides, including insecticides
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Explain the selection and use of spray equipment appropriate for different
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Describe aspects of the biology of an insect which are relevant to pest control.
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Describe aspects of the biology of an fungus which are relevant to disease control.
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Explain how inappropriate environmental conditions can affect plant health.
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Identify the characteristic signs of a range of non-insect pests,
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and select apropriate control methods.
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM DOING THIS COURSE?
This course builds on Horticulture I and Horticulture II but may also be
taken as a stand-alone unit; It does however assume assumes some general
horticulture knowledge or learning. Upon completing this course you will be able to demonstrate a
higher level of understanding of plant pest and disease problems
through awareness of the biology of pest and disease cycles. Understanding these fundamentals is imperative to setting up programs for prevention and control. The
course is suited to people working in:
- General horticulture
- Garden maintenance
- Parks & gardens
- Garden conservation
- Garden tourism
- Nursery & propagation
