ADMIPM: Principles of Integrated Pest Management

Module code: ADMIPM

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Alexey Mikaberidze, email: a.mikaberidze@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Learn the core principles of integrated pest management (IPM) and how IPM is being used globally to improve plant health and increase the sustainability of agricultural production. Through lectures, seminars and practical sessions you will discover major classes of pest organisms of cultivated plants and will learn integrated methods for their management. You will develop a framework to help you consider the factors that determine the impacts of plant diseases, pests and weeds. By drawing on case studies from around the world you will develop an understanding of how IPM can be incorporated in a whole system approach. 

This module aims to provide students with 

• A robust understanding of the key principles of integrated pest management 
• A knowledge of the major classes of organisms that are considered pests in global cropping and forestry systems and an ability to recognise a limited range of plant diseases, pests, weeds and beneficials 
• An understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes that influence pest population dynamics and therefore the impacts of those pests 
• A knowledge of the key tools that can be employed as part of an IPM approach 
• A range of case studies of IPM in practice and, by making use of experimental data, the ability to evaluate the system-wide interactions that influence management decisions within those systems. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Explain the key principles of integrated pest management, using examples from a range of case studies and critically evaluate a range of pest control practices, monitoring and decision support tools. 
2. Recognise a limited range of plant diseases, pests, weeds and beneficials and understand how pathogens, pests, weeds and beneficials transfer between host crops and multiply, both within crop and regionally 
3. Describe typical drivers of pest population dynamics, with examples of their effects and analyse simple pest problems and suggest system changes which will improve the overall outcome, based on experimental evidence 
4. Appreciation of the complexity of natural and cultivated ecosystems and better system-scale thinking; improved library research and problem-solving skills. 

Module content

This module will introduce you to basic biology of some of the most important plant diseases, herbivorous insects and weeds; introduce typical patterns of population dynamics. It will show how a serious visible detriment to production is the outcome of the interaction of host, environment and pathogen, pest or weed; and describe some contrasting examples to show how production systems may favour or disfavour particular organisms. In the module, we will discuss the effects of pesticides within agroecosystems, the evolution of pesticide resistance, and precision approaches to IPM. The module will focus on plant disease management, while incorporating key aspect of insect pest and weed management, and elucidating how scientific knowledge can inform decision making. We will critically examine relevant case studies of integrated pest management in practice. 

The practical content will cover examination and elementary diagnosis of plant diseases, pests, and weeds. 

The lecture content will cover relevant biology of plant pathogens, pests and weeds, and their population dynamics; case-histories in biological control; examples of how interactions of host, environment and pathogen, pest or weed lead to different outcomes; effects and side-effects of pesticides within a cropping system; pesticide resistance evolution; precision approaches and decision support. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures; seminars; practical sessions; online learning materials; external reading. 

Study hours

At least 44 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Online quizzes 

Classroom feedback during problem-solving and identification sessions 

Feedback on summative tests 

Reassessment

Additional costs