Explore key facts about identifying and managing common sucking pests in agriculture. This quiz highlights pest behaviors, crop impact, and integrated management strategies to support sustainable farming.
Which agricultural pest is small, white, and typically found on the underside of leaves, often causing yellowing or curling of crops like cotton and tomatoes?
Explanation: Whiteflies are tiny, white sap-sucking insects commonly seen on the undersides of leaves, leading to yellow or curled foliage. Cutworms and armyworms are caterpillars that chew rather than suck sap. Stem borers burrow into stems rather than attacking leaf surfaces.
Which method best supports control of aphids in vegetable crops while minimizing impact on beneficial insects?
Explanation: Introducing lady beetles, natural aphid predators, helps control aphid populations without harming beneficial organisms. Broad-spectrum insecticides can harm a wide variety of insects. Increasing fertilizer does not control pests. Flood irrigation is not targeted for aphids.
When thrips attack crops such as onions or chili peppers, which typical symptom appears on the leaves?
Explanation: Thrips commonly create silvery or bronze streaks and patches by rasping leaf tissue and sucking sap. Large holes are more likely from chewing pests. Galls are abnormal growths caused by some insects but not thrips. Root rot is a fungal disease, not an insect symptom.
What is a common visible effect of mealybug infestation on fruit crops like grapes or papaya?
Explanation: Mealybugs excrete honeydew, leading to black sooty mold on fruit and leaves. Leaf skeletonization is caused by biting insects. Stem tunneling is associated with borers. Bulb swelling is usually unrelated to mealybug activity.
Which practice is essential in an integrated pest management (IPM) approach for controlling sucking pests in agriculture?
Explanation: Regular field scouting helps in early detection and timely control of pest outbreaks, a key IPM principle. Early harvesting and frequent deep plowing are not efficient for sucking pest management. Altering plant spacing may aid airflow but does not directly target pest detection or control.