BY4.5 Pest Control

Pest Control

pests attack crop and reduce yield, they also:

• feed on crops and animas
• compete with crop organisms for resources
• can directly cuase diseases in crops
• make infection by pathogens more likely
• spoil food when it is being stored or transported
• lead to reduced food amount and economic loss

Chemical control:

the use of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides

sprayed onto crops, applied and powders and smokes in encosed areas

can be sprayed onto animals and animal feeds

insecticides are used to kill insects

ideally they shoud be specific, non persistent and shouldn't accumulate or be passed down the food chain

DDT was persistent and remained in the environemt for a long period of time

over use of DDT led to the development of resistance

Advantages:

• very effective
• quick and cheap eradication
• can be aplied on a small scale (i.e. a small field)
• doesn' require a high level of skill

Disadvantages:

• not specific and can get rid of good insects (e.g…