Title: Explain how to manage pests.
Course: Floriculture (18052-II) > Section: Applying Science to Plant Production

Explanation should include

- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- types of pest management (e.g., mechanical, cultural, chemical, organic/alternative, biological)
- pesticide mode of action
- use of pesticide safety information, including
  - centralized bulletin board
  - personal pesticide safety training
  - EPA-approved warning signs
  - personal protective equipment (PPE)
  - safety data sheets (SDS)
  - chemical storage, disposal, and mixing areas
  - pesticide labels
- use and calibration of pesticide application equipment, including hand-pump sprayer, backpack sprayer, gas or electric sprayer, foggers, and granule dispensers
- timing of pesticide application
- pesticide formulations, including wettable powders, emulsifiable concentrates, dusts, aerosols, fogs, smokes, and granules
- pesticide compatibility
- disposal methods
- pest resistance to chemicals
- phytotoxicity
- identification of arthropod pests, including aphids, fungus gnats, mealybugs, mites, scale insects, thrips, and whiteflies
- identification of plant diseases, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi (e.g., botrytis, damping-off, root rot)
- identification of weeds and the economic damage caused by them
- how to use chemicals to manage pests, including
  - mixing liquid pesticides
  - applying pesticides, using a backpack sprayer
- how granular pesticides are applied.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the key components of IPM?
- How can a grower determine whether a contact or a systemic protectant should be applied?
- What are the environmental hazards associated with irresponsible pesticide use?
- What safety precautions must be observed when handling pesticides?
- What information is printed on every pesticide label?
- What is pesticide compatibility, and how is it assessed?
- When is the application of a chemical pesticide justified?
- What biological pest management methods are currently available?