Classification of Insect Pest I

Agricultural Science JSS1 Third Term

WEEK 1

Classification of Insect Pest I

Performance Objectives

Student should be able to:

1.  Classify insect pest according to mouthparts

2.  List the piercing and sucking insect pests

3.  Explain the damages done by crop plant pests

Content

Definition of Pest

A pest is any organism which causes damage or injury to crops. It can also be defined as any organism which causes loss to the farmer.

Generally, pest attack all parts of the crop: roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. They reduce crop yield both in quality and quantity.

Pest includes birds, monkeys, rodents, insects, nematodes, molluses and even man but among these pests, insects are ranked first as they are the most important and most destructive crop pest.

Insect pest can be classified on the basis of their mouthparts into three groups and they are as follows:

1. Piercing and sucking insect pest

2. Biting and chewing insect pest

3. Boring insect pest

1. Piercing and sucking insect pest: These insects have mouth parts that are shaped like injection needles and thus they are adapted to piercing (penetrating into the plant part) and sucking (removing plant fluid).

These piercing and sucking habits of the insects lead to the destruction of plant tissues, development of holes through which disease organisms can enter into the plant system and transfer of harmful germs from diseased plants to healthy ones. All these leads to weakening and eventual death of the plant affected. Examples of piercing and sucking insect pests are aphids also known as plant lice, cotton stainer, mealy bug, capsid bugs and scale insects. Below are some pictures showing piercing and sucking insect pests

Picture showing aphid

Picture showing cotton Steiner