Program Overview

Introduction to PSC255 Plant Protection

This subject is designed to give students a broad understanding of plant protection in the context of broadacre cropping, horticultural enterprises, and pastoral systems. Students will be able to develop their knowledge in one of these areas via choice in assignment topics. The emphasis is on developing the knowledge, skills, and analytical attitude needed to manage plant protection within such agricultural systems.

Subject Information

Grading System

The grading system for this subject is HD/FL.

Duration

The duration of this subject is one session.

School

This subject is offered by the School of Rural Management.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Use their knowledge of pests, weeds, and pathogens, and the signs and symptoms of their attack to define a plant protection problem
• Relate the incidence and severity of plant protection problems to key environmental factors such as temperature and humidity
• Use a knowledge of the life cycle of an identified organism and other aspects of its biology to determine the most appropriate stages for control
• Access information from a range of sources and interpret it to compile relevant facts on specific weeds, pests, and diseases
• Explain the key features of plant protection methods (pesticides; biological control; resistant varieties; cultural methods and regulatory control)
• Use information on the target organism and crop system to determine, where appropriate, a suitable pesticide type and method of application
• Use information from a range of sources to analyse the pros and cons of plant protection methods for a given situation
• Explain the importance of monitoring and of thresholds in plant protection
• Discuss the meaning of the term 'integrated pest management' (IPM)
• Critically review information from a range of sources to propose and argue for an IPM strategy for a specific situation.

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• MODULE 1: Weeds, Pests and Diseases introduction weeds pests diseases
• MODULE 2: Plant Protection Techniques chemical methods non-chemical options
• MODULE 3: Integrated Pest Management introduction to integrated pest management (IPM) implementing IPM

Residential School

This subject contains a 1-day Compulsory Residential School. The purpose of the Residential School is to aid students in planning their assignment work and to complement the Learning Guide material by providing a forum in which students can interact and share knowledge and experiences with each other and with staff. The school will also show how an integrated pest management (IPM) program may be developed and implemented.