Explore key strategies and concepts in wheat pest control to ensure healthier crop yields and sustainable farming practices. This quiz covers pest identification, control methods, and best management techniques specific to wheat agriculture.
Which insect is a primary pest of wheat crops known for causing dead heart symptoms by boring into young shoots?
Explanation: Wheat stem borers damage wheat by boring into stems, causing typical dead heart symptoms. Rice weevils generally attack stored grains, not live plants. Green peach aphids mainly affect vegetables, and root knot nematodes are soil-borne pests impacting roots, not wheat stems.
Which cultural practice reduces the risk of wheat pest infestation by eliminating volunteer wheat and infected crop residues?
Explanation: Deep plowing buries crop residues and removes volunteer wheat, disrupting pest life cycles. Crop rotation helps, but deep plowing specifically targets overwintering sites. Flood irrigation is less effective for wheat pests, and reduced tillage can increase residue that harbors pests.
When is the most appropriate time to apply insecticides for aphid control in wheat fields to minimize pest populations and resistance risk?
Explanation: Applying insecticides at the start of aphid colonization targets populations before they multiply, enhancing control and reducing resistance risk. Spraying after harvest or at sowing is ineffective since aphids aren't present. After flowering is often too late for optimal impact.
Which natural enemy is commonly used for biological control of wheat aphids in integrated pest management programs?
Explanation: Ladybird beetles are effective predators of aphids and widely used in biological control. Earwigs mainly target other insects, earthworms help with soil health, and crane flies are not significant aphid predators.
What is a key principle of integrated pest management (IPM) for controlling wheat pests?
Explanation: IPM emphasizes integrating different control approaches—cultural, biological, and chemical—to manage pests sustainably. Reliance on pesticides alone can lead to resistance, while ignoring thresholds results in unnecessary treatments. Monoculture planting can actually increase pest pressure.