The course, Crop Pests and their management, is about reducing crop injuries/damage due to pests by lowering the pest status using various techniques combined while taking care of the environment.
The students will gain knowledge about the pests that affect crops in Kenya and the principles for the management. In addition, the students will gain skills through the practicals tailored to compliment the theory. The practicals will cover the mouthparts, monitoring and the various methods used to manage pests and getting to the field to identify the pests and associated damages first hand. It is expected that the students will also change their attitudes towards arthropods and appreciate the need for this course to help increase available food by reducing losses that come with infestation by arthropod pests both in the field and in the stores. Crop Pests are reported to cause about 40% loss of the crop under production from the field and into the stores. Some of the common pests are lepidopteran pests found attacking different crop botanical families, piercing and sucking pests that thrive on the plant sap and the dipterans that destroy fruit pulp resulting in rots and falling, losses that cannot be replaced.
The students will gain knowledge about the pests that affect crops in Kenya and the principles for the management. In addition, the students will gain skills through the practicals tailored to compliment the theory. The practicals will cover the mouthparts, monitoring and the various methods used to manage pests and getting to the field to identify the pests and associated damages first hand. It is expected that the students will also change their attitudes towards arthropods and appreciate the need for this course to help increase available food by reducing losses that come with infestation by arthropod pests both in the field and in the stores. Crop Pests are reported to cause about 40% loss of the crop under production from the field and into the stores. Some of the common pests are lepidopteran pests found attacking different crop botanical families, piercing and sucking pests that thrive on the plant sap and the dipterans that destroy fruit pulp resulting in rots and falling, losses that cannot be replaced.
- Teacher: Ruth Kahuthia Gathu Kahuthia
- Teacher: PROF. DORA CHAO KILALO