Plant Pests are:

							                    Introduction to Plant Pests


                                                 Plant Pests are:

           • Plants which grow where they are not wanted
             (weeds).
           • Insects and their relatives without backbones
             (invertebrates).
           • Animals with backbones (vertebrates).
           • Fungi and molds which cause diseases (disease
             agents).

Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement
University of California, Davis
                                                        361.T1
                    Introduction to Plant Pests


                                                 Weeds

   • Weeds are plants that grow
     where theyare not wanted.
   • A common California weed is
     the Shepherd’s Purse
     (Capsella bursa-pastoris).



Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement
University of California, Davis
                                                  361.T2
                    Introduction to Plant Pests


                                           Invertebrate Pests
   • Insects have three body parts;
     head, thorax, and abdomen.
                                                                       Bean leaf
                                                                       beetle
   • Nematodes are non-segmented
     cylindrical worms.

   • Snails and slugs are mollusks.                         Nematode


Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement
University of California, Davis
                                                   361.T3
                    Introduction to Plant Pests


                                                 Vertebrate Pests
• Domestic animals: dogs, cats, and horses.



• Wild animals: skunk, raccoon, deer, ground squirrels,
  gophers, moles, rabbits.




Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement
University of California, Davis
                                                        361.T4
                    Introduction to Plant Pests


                                                 Disease Agents

 • These organisms are usually
   difficult to identify because they
   are microscopic.
 • They are molds and fungi,
   bacteria, and viruses.

                                                                Tilletia caries


Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement
University of California, Davis
                                                       361.T5