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.
Unit details and rules
Academic unit | Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations |
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Credit points | 6 |
Prerequisites
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6cp of BIOL2X23 or BIOL2X30 or BIOL2X31 or AGEN2001 or AGEN2005 |
Corequisites
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None |
Prohibitions
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PPAT3003 |
Assumed knowledge
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None |
Available to study abroad and exchange students | Yes |
Teaching staff
Coordinator | David Guest, david.guest@sydney.edu.au |
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Lecturer(s) | Tanya Latty, tanya.latty@sydney.edu.au |
David Guest, david.guest@sydney.edu.au | |
Michael Walsh, m.j.walsh@sydney.edu.au |