NES1000 : Crop Pests
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
- Module Leader(s): Dr Dave George
- Lecturer: Dr Ankush Prashar, Professor Giles Budge
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To provide students with an introduction to crop pests. To introduce students to the significance, biology, and diversity of crop pests, how they cause damage, and the principles of their control. The module provides a study of the major insect, fungal and weed pests which affect crop production. The biology, life-cycle and principles of control of these pests via chemical and other means are evaluated.
Outline Of Syllabus
Animal Pests
Ecological background; why some animals are pests. Types of plant damage and factors affecting pest abundance. Economic thresholds. Methods of pest control. Biology and control of major pests of cereals and grasses, basic forage crops, vegetables and oilseed rape, potato, carrots, legume forage and vegetable crops, and stored products. Role of insects in spreading plant virus diseases.
Weeds
The problem of weeds; importance of weeds as pests in crop production; crop losses due to weeds.
Weed identification.
Weed biology: growth cycles; seed prolificacy; seed dispersal, dormancy, and survival; periodicity of germination.
Competitiveness of different weed species, critical periods of weed competition and control.
The role of weed and crop biology in the development of weed control strategies.
Diseases
Nature and importance of plant diseases.
How pathogens cause plant diseases and how they spread.
Methods and principles of disease control.
Diseases caused by protist (lower) fungi, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, bacteria, and viruses
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 2 | 3:00 | 6:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Revision for final exam |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 3:00 | 6:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 1 | 4:00 | 4:00 | Field Trip to NU-Farms |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 54:00 | 54:00 | Compilation of notes and engaging with Canvas materials for further learning outside the lecture content |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will provide an understanding of the range of crop pests of importance in British Agriculture. Through an understanding of their life-cycle and interaction with their hosts control methods will be evaluated. Practical classes will enhance the ability of students to recognise major-weed and fungal pathogens.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 90 | 2 | A | 100 | N/A |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | Students will be presented with problem solving exercises as part of the module teaching - for example to define an IPM strategy |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The exam assesses knowledge and understanding of material relating to each section of the module i.e. animal pests, weeds and pathogens.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES1000's Timetable