Explore the complete life cycles, behaviors, and control methods for agricultural pests and parasites.
Understand different types of weeds, their characteristics, and effective management strategies.
Learn essential practices for maintaining soil health and water resources in agriculture.
Pests and parasites are living organisms that harm plants, animals, and humans. They often go through life cycles, which are the stages of growth and development from birth to adulthood.
Why Understanding Life Cycles Matters:
Pests like insects go through several stages in their life. These usually include:
The life cycle begins when the female lays eggs.
The egg hatches into a young form.
In complete metamorphosis, the larva enters a resting stage.
The final stage, when the insect can reproduce.
Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult
Examples: butterflies, beetles
Egg → Nymph → Adult
Examples: grasshoppers, aphids
Parasites live on or inside another organism (called the host) and get their food from it.
Live on the outside of the host
Live inside the host's body
Parasites often have complex life cycles that may involve more than one host. For example:
They may live as larvae in animals like pigs and become adults in humans who eat undercooked pork.
Spread parasites like the ones that cause malaria, by biting infected people and then biting others.
Pests damage crops by feeding on leaves, stems, roots, or fruits
Understanding their life cycle helps farmers control them at the right stage
By understanding their life cycle, we can use the right method to break the cycle
Use medicine or pesticides to stop them from spreading
Weeds are unwanted plants that grow in fields, gardens, and crop areas. They compete with crops for sunlight, water, nutrients, and space.
Impact on Agriculture: Weeds affect farming by:
There are three main types:
Live for one season
Live for two years
Live for many years and are hard to get rid of
A fast-growing weed that can harm crops and human health.
Looks like wheat or barley but reduces crop yield.
A tough weed that spreads underground and is hard to remove.
Found in wheat fields and competes for nutrients.
Controlling weeds is important for healthy crops and better harvests.
Soil and water are essential for farming and human life. Soil gives nutrients to plants, and water helps them grow. But both can be damaged by erosion, pollution, and overuse.
Conservation Benefits: Proper management provides:
Soil conservation means protecting soil from being washed or blown away and keeping it healthy.
Plowing across the slope, not down, to reduce water runoff.
Making steps on hillsides to slow down water.
Planting crops like grasses after harvest to protect the soil.
Growing different crops each season to maintain soil fertility.
Planting trees to hold the soil together.
Water conservation means using water wisely and preventing waste.
Collecting rainwater in tanks or ponds for later use.
A system that delivers water directly to the roots of plants using pipes.
Covering the soil with leaves or straw to keep moisture in.
Using treated wastewater for irrigation.
Soil and water conservation help farmers grow more food
Protect the environment and natural resources
Ensure resources for future generations
Improve soil fertility and water quality