The content is just an excerpt from the complete note for SS 2 Second Term Agricultural Science Lesson Note – Pests of Crops Continued. Check below to download the complete PDF
TOPIC:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â PESTS OF CROPS CONTINUED
CONTENT: 1. Other Important Pests (Non-insect pests) and Nature of Damages of Crop Pests
- Broad outline of the biology of selected insect pests
- Economic Importance, Preventive and control measures
SUB TOPIC 1. OTHER IMPORTANT PESTS AND NATURE OF DAMAGES OF CROP PESTS
The non-insect pests include:
- Birds
- Rodents
- Nematodes
- Snails
 BIRDS: Many kinds of birds feed on planted crops. They attack crops like fruits, grains, oil palm while on the field e.g., the weaver birds called Quela bird feed on millet, sorghum and rice. They eat the developing seeds and cause great losses on crops. Francolin feed on tuber crops like cassava, yam, cocoyam and grain crop. Parrots also eat lots of fruits such as mango and cocoa. Weaver birds cause defoliation to oil palm leaves, reducing photosynthetic activities of the crops.
 RODENTS: These are mammalian pests which damage crops like young oil palm trees, vegetables, yam, cassava, rice and sugar-cane. Examples are rats, monkeys, giant rats, bats, squirrel, grass cutter and antelope. Squirrels and monkeys eat cocoa pods; bats eat lots of fruits like oranges and mangoes. Ground squirrel eats or digs out and eats newly planted seeds. Grass cutter cuts and eat cereals, cassava, sugar cane and young oil palms. Rats eat and destroy stored produce like grains and tubers.
 NEMATODES: These are species of worm present in the soil. From the soil, they enter into the root of crops like tomatoes and okra where they cause the root to grow swellings called root knots. When this happens the plants have stunted growth and reduced yield
SNAILS: They are serious pests and they feed on leaves and reduce their photosynthetic ability, yield and quality of vegetables.
NATURE OF DAMAGE TO CROPS
The nature of damage by some selected crop pests are shown in the table below
| Insect Pests | Crops attacked | Nature of damage | Prevention/Control Measures |
| Stem Borers
(Busseola fusca) |
Rice, maize, guinea corn | Larvae bore holes into stems; eat up plant tissues; weaken the plants | Uproot and burn infected plants; use of insecticides & practice crop rotation |
| Army worm (Spodoptera spp) | Maize, sorghum, cowpea | Larvae invade and eat up leaves; reduce photosynthetic activities; reduced growth | Hand picking and spraying with insecticide |
| Pod borers (Maruca vitrata) | Cowpea, ground nut and soybean | Larvae bore into the pods; seeds are eaten up; introduced disease and webbing of pods together | Practice of crop rotation; use of insecticide like cypermethrin; timely harvesting |
| Aphid (Aphis craccivora) | Cowpea and soybean | Cause gall on leaves and transmit virus disease | Uproot and burn infected plants; use of insecticides |
| Leaf beetles (Ootheca mutabilis | Cowpea and soybean | Defoliate crops; reduce photosynthesis and yield | Plant resistant varieties and use of insecticides |
| Cocoa mirids (Distantiella theobroma) | Cocoa | Attack young shoot and inject toxic saliva into plant; transmit fungal diseases; cause stunted growth and reduced yield | Regular weeding; farm hygiene; use of insecticides |
| Scale insect (Planococcus citri) | Cocoa, kola and coffee | Feed on cell content; cause premature fruit fall and transmit viral diseases | Spray with insecticide |
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