Texas Ornamental and Turf
Question : Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA)
CORRECT ANSWER : The primary agency regulating
pesticides in Texas.
Question : The Texas Structural Pest Control Service (SPCS)
CORRECT ANSWER : Also licenses people to apply
pesticides to lawns, ornamental plants, and weeds to control landscape pests.
Question : Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
CORRECT ANSWER : You need to take a comprehensive
approach that uses biological, cultural, physical, and chemical controls in a careful, environmentally sound manner. The terms for this approach is .....
Question : Natural Factors
CORRECT ANSWER : ....influence pests include climate,
natural barriers and enemies, population developmnt and dynamics, and the availability of shelter, food, and water.
These XXXXX factors may cause pest populations to increase or decrease without influence from humans.
Question : Biological Control
CORRECT ANSWER : ....involves manipulating the natural
enemies of pests-those that kill and eat pests (predators), those that feed on but do not necessarily kill pests (parasites), or those that cause diseases in pests (pathogens). You can encourage and maintain high population levels of these natural enemies by using pesticides carefully or by releasing a pest's enemies into the target area.
Question : Cultural Control
CORRECT ANSWER : ....methods are the activities
involved in taking care of the plants, such as site selection and watering practices. These techniques can alter the environment around the plants to affect the pests that could be attacking them.
Question : Mechanical Control
CORRECT ANSWER : ....involves the use of equipment or
manual operations to keep out or disrupt the life cycle of pests. Barriers that exclude pests include fencing, plastic mulches, and row covers.
Question : Host Plant Resistance
CORRECT ANSWER : ....Some plants can tolerate damage
from certain pests or are unsuitable for pest development; this trait is known as xxxxxxxx. For example, the St. Augustine grass variety 'Floratam' is resistant to chinch bugs.
Question : Chemical Control
CORRECT ANSWER : ....involves the use of pesticides to
destroy pests, control their activity, or prevent them from causing damage. Chemical pesticides are often the quickest way to control pests and, in some cases, the only alternative.
Question : Plant Selection
CORRECT ANSWER : A critical step in pest control is to
choose the proper plant or variety for the landscape. Choose
all landscape plants according to their water requirements, shade tolerance, and susceptibility to pests.
Question : Water
CORRECT ANSWER : Too much or too little xxxxx can
damage or kill plants. Lack of water causes leaves to wilt, droop and drop. Excess water in the soil forces out the oxygen that plant roots need to survive.
Question : Fertilization
CORRECT ANSWER : Plants need 16 elements, which in
horticulture are called plant nutrients. The soil usually contains enough of these nutrients for normal plant growth.Nitrogen is normally the most limiting plant nutrient. It constitutes the foundation of most common fertilizers. The elements needed in tiny amounts are called micronutrients.The best way to determine how much and what kind of fertilizer that a landscape needs is to take a soil sample.