Plant Protection - BIOL3019

Plants are fundamentally important to human food, fibre and energy requirements, but global productivity is reduced by an estimated 40% by pest (disease, insect and weed) pressures. The impact of these production losses is increasing as demand grows for greater food, fibre and energy production. This unit on Plant Protection focuses on the development and adoption of integrated crop management processes to control plant pathogens, insects and weeds. The advantages and disadvantages of biological, cultural, physical and chemical control methods are explored using examples from agro-ecosystems. You will develop a comparative case study of integrated pest management (IPM) for a particular crop that considers all three pest groups and present a seminar about this case study. You will learn the principles of healthy plant production, the ecology of diseases, insects and weeds and integrated approaches to manage these pests. Completing this unit of study will provide you with the skills required to identify important pest management issues and critically assess requirements for optimum intervention plans.

Classes
Lectures 2 hrs/week; practical/tutorial 2 hrs/week. 2 x 4 hr field excursions.

Assessment
You will be assessed though submission of a written IPM Case study 60% (20% each for weeds, insects, diseases), an oral presentation on the IPM case study (10%) and quizzes after the disease, insect and weed sections of the course (30%i.e. 3 x 10%)

Textbooks
There will be a Canvas site for this unit, where resources will be supplied and reference materials suggested relevant to the course as it progresses.General textbooks for the unit are: Pedigo LP and Rice ME. 2009. Entomology and Pest Management. 6th edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Schumann GL and Darcy CJ. 2010. Essential Plant Pathology (2nd ed.). APS Press, St Paul, Minn., USA. Sindel BM (Ed) (2000). Australian Weed Management Systems. R.G. and F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.

6cp of BIOL2X23 or BIOL2X30 or BIOL2X31 or AGEN2001 or AGEN2005