Learning Area TLE-Agricultural Crop Production Grade Level 9

W6
Quarter 4 Date
I. LESSON TITLE Pest Control
II. MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING Apply pest control measure according to specific pest control measure and OHS
COMPETENCIES (MELCs) procedures
III. CONTENT/CORE CONTENT Pests and Pest Control
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
I. Introduction (Time Frame: 15mins.)
For the past 5 weeks, we discussed about harvesting - the most awaited and exciting stage in gardening. There’s no greater joy
for a gardener than a plot full of perfect-looking vegetables. The problem is that many garden bugs use our vegetable beds as
salad bar. Infestation of insect pests and plant pathogens is a challenge for every gardener; and the temptation to wipe them
out is strong. But instead of turning to pesticides in eliminating insect pests, this lesson will help you get rid of them through different
methods of pest control.

At the end of the lesson you should be able to:

- identify different insect pest and its control
- enumerate the methods of pest control
- make your own pesticide
II. Development (Time Frame: 1hr and 30mins)
Let us see how much you know about the lesson by answering Learning Task 1. Name the following insect pests. Choose your
answer from the list. Write your answer in your TLE notebook.
Learning Task 1.

Aphids Caterpillars Two spotted mites White flies Grasshopper Cutworms

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is a pest?
Pests are organisms that damage or interfere with the growth of desirable plants in our fields, orchards, and landscapes. They
are also the ones that damage homes or other structures. Pests in any form are the farmers’ enemy and they cause enormous
damage to their crops.
Types of Pests
1. Insect. These are important and major pests. Insects have three pairs of legs, two pairs of wings, segmented body and
characteristic compound eyes and antennae. Insects are tricky, they cause damage in different ways like sucking sap
from plants, biting plant parts, boring in to fruits, twigs and leaves, attacking roots, barks and blossoms etc. The
damaging stages of different insect pests are larvae, adults and nymphs.
2. Mites. These creatures are like insects but they have soft body and four pairs of legs. These tiny creatures have red or pale-
yellow color. They suck the sap from the plant and attack the crops in huge number.
3. Rodents. This group of pests eat away large amount of human food and also damage crops on a large scale. They are
also responsible for heavy loss to stored grains in farms, warehouses and houses.
4. Animals. Animals like wild boar, deer, elephants, wild buffalo, jackals, monkeys and squirrels cause direct damage to crop
plants.
5. Birds. Birds attack the crop plants and eat grains. Crow, parrots and sparrows are among the majority of birds that attack
the crops.
KINDS OF INSECT PESTS HOW TO CONTROL INSECT PEST
1. Aphids Aphids are 1–3mm, soft-bodied insects that Control with sprays such as garlic extract or
can be green, grey, or black. Aphids cluster horticultural oils and soaps. Sprays containing
on the tips of the shoots, sucking the sap pyrethrum and piperonyl butoxide can also be
from the plant, which reduces plant vigor. used but crops cannot be picked for one day after
Aphids can also spread viruses which can its use.
severely reduce yields and quality.
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
2. Caterpillars Caterpillars are usually the larval stages of Try out a few natural remedies. If that doesn’t work,
moths or butterflies. They are normally you can try some soap insecticides or other
hairless, with a long cylindrical body from 10– remedies for getting rid of caterpillars.
50mm long and range in color. Caterpillars
may attack leaves of most vegetables.

3. Cutworms Cutworms hide in the soil by day and attack Control with Bacillus thuringiensis, a biological
plants at night. They damage the stem of insecticide which targets not only caterpillars but
young seedlings at the base, causing the also cutworms. This insecticide needs to be sprayed
plant to collapse. every five days or after rain or overhead watering.
(Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a species of bacteria
that lives in soil. It makes proteins that are toxic to
some insects when eaten, but not others. )

4. Grasshopper Grasshoppers are hungry insects that can The best way to control grasshoppers is to have
quickly destroy plants and vegetables in good gardening practices, disturb their life cycle,
your garden. Although they seem small and and use natural pest controls to protect your plants.
insignificant, large numbers of grasshoppers Regular weeding is one way to control
can become garden pests. grasshoppers naturally. Some grasshopper species
especially snakeweeds love weed plants.
Removing weeds throughout the year reduces
feeding opportunities for the plant-destroying
insects.
5. Thrips Thrips suck the sap of leaves, fruit and Control with garlic extract, horticultural soaps or
flowers, and these feeding results in white sprays containing pyrethrum and piperonyl
streaks on the plants. Some species are butoxide.
carriers of tomato spotted wilt virus. (Piperonyl butoxide is a waxy white solid organic
compound used as a synergist component of
pesticide formulations.)

6. White flies Whiteflies are tiny, 1.5–2.0mm, sap-sucking Whiteflies can be difficult to control using
insects that can damage vegetables grown pesticides. Control with sprays such as garlic extract
in the open and in greenhouses. or sprays containing pyrethrum and piperonyl
The adults resemble small moths and fly in butoxide. Horticultural soaps and soapy water may
large numbers when disturbed. also reduce numbers.

7. Mites Mites have eight legs compared to insects Control with horticultural soap which should be
which have six legs. They are less than 1mm sprayed beneath the foliage at the first sign of the
in size, much smaller compared to most mites. Mites are most active in dry weather and
insects. Mites are sap-suckers and damage sprays of water beneath the leaves will reduce
can range from stippling on the leaves of the numbers.
plant, to bronzing of the stems and leaves.
8. Two-spotted mites Two-spotted mites are usually first noticed by Use organic building spray consisting of a little bit of
the yellow stippling of the leaves, which look lemon juice (1-2 tbsp per gallon) and half-ounce of
dry with dark brown or reddish-orange color. apple cider vinegar. Use this food-grade spray to
The underside of the affected leaves usually treat your entire facility and eradicate spider mites
has fine webs, under which are hundreds of and their eggs on the spot, including those hidden
small (about 1–2mm), yellow or red mites in tiny cracks and crevices of your grow space
long and have pearly eggs. The mites suck
the sap of the leaves.
Other pests
9. Snails and slugs Snails and slugs. These mollusks can attack Copper tape comes on a similar roll to sticky tape
most crops and chew holes in leaves and kill and can be stuck around a garden bed, planter or
seedlings. They are most active at night, pot. It needs a clean, dry surface to attach to and
especially in moist weather. it will stop snails and slugs in their tracks. Copper
tape is very effective in creating a barrier between
your food crops and our slimy friends.
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
10. Slaters Slaters or woodlice are small crustaceans The most effective trap for slaters or woodlice is the
that hide in damp situations in the garden. half-citrus trap. It’s really simple, just put a half
Slaters feed on organic matter, but at high orange (or grapefruit) face down on the soil. You
densities they can damage new seedlings, can juice it first if you don’t want to waste it. The next
the roots of pot plants and ripe fruit such as day, turn it over and scoop up all the little buggers
melons, strawberries. and throw the handful of woodlice on the ground
for them.

Methods of Pest Control. Pest reduces the yield and quality of crops. Broadly, the measures of pest control are of two types:
preventive and protective. Protective measures are used to control the pest after their attack. The methods of controlling pest
are as follows.
1. Mechanical methods 2. Physical methods 3. Cultural methods
*Use of traps By heat: * Crop rotation
*Catch them with the help of net *High temperature kills the pest * Deep plowing
*Remove the part or whole plant that is *Low temperature * Clean cultivation
infested. * Proper use of fertilizers and water
*Picking of pests and larvae by hand * Timely or late sowing
and destroying them * Proper harvesting
4. Chemical methods. This method is used on large scale for direct control of pests. Here, chemicals that kill pests are used.
These chemicals are called pesticides/ Insecticides. The chemical method is effective and it is a faster way of eliminating
pests compared to other methods, but it is hazardous to environment. Improper use of these chemical leads to development
of resistance among the pests, causing heavy outbreak which leads to increase in cost of cultivation and heavy loss.
5. Biological methods. Use of biological agents to control pests is called bio-control. Most pests (98%) are controlled by
nature. There are certain predators, parasites, birds, animals, and micro-organism that can be used for control of pests.

Learning Task 2. Read and understand the questions carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer inside the box.
1. The first letter of the beginning of an insect’s life. 1.
2. Are all insects harmful?
3. Three initial of methods of controlling pests. 2.
4. The organism that damages or interferes with the growth of 3.
desirable plants.
5. These creatures are like insects but they have soft body and 4.
four pairs of legs.
6. It is important and major pests.
5..
7. They are also responsible for heavy loss to stored grains in
6.
farms, warehouses and houses.
8. A kind of insect that hide in the soil by day and attack plants
at night. 7.
9. It is a waxy white solid organic compound used as a
synergist component of pesticide formulations. 8.
10. Pest control method that removes the part or the whole 9.
infested plant.
10.

E. Engagement (Time Frame: 1hr and 30mins)

Learning Task 3. Making Organic Pesticides

Materials: 1 tablespoon dish soap, 1 cup cooking oil, Medium size glass jar, 1-pint water
Instructions:
For those annoying sap-sucking insects -- such as aphids, thrips, spider mites and whiteflies -- create a homemade oil spray
using 1 tablespoon of dish soap and 1 cup of cooking oil from a newly-opened bottle of oil. This concentrated liquid must be
mixed with water before use, with a ration of 4 teaspoons of homemade oil mixture to 1 pint of water.
Until you are ready to use it, store the concentrated oil mixture in a glass jar in a dark, dry and cool location. To thoroughly
control the pests, spray the mixture to the vegetable, once every seven days.

NOTE: You can research another organic pesticide that you want to make. Submit the procedure, instruction and a picture of
your organic pesticides that is inside a spray bottle.
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

RUBRICS
CRITERIA PROFICIENT (5) ACCEPTABLE (4) BEGINNER (3)
Process Skills Consistently demonstrate targeted Occasionally demonstrate targeted Do not demonstrate targeted process
process skills process skills skills
Accuracy Performs the task with no error Performs the task with at least 1-2 errors Performs the task with at least 3-5 errors
Safety Follows all the safety practices as Follows the safety practices with at Follows the safety practices with at
set in the guidelines least 1-2 safety measures not met least 3-5 safety measures not met

SAFETYPRECAUTION REMINDERS:
1. Before you proceed in making your own pesticide, use the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It includes face mask and
hand gloves.
2. Properly handle tools especially sharp and pointed objects. Avoid having body contact with the pointed objects.
3. Clean your area before, during, and after the activity. Surroundings must be free from trash.
A. Assimilation (Time Frame: 15mins)
Insect pests have major effects on agricultural production and food supply. Although the application of insecticides/ pesticides
has helped minimize the impact of insect pests, chemical control entails economic, health, and environmental costs. Therefore,
the development of new strategies or improving the existing strategies other than chemicals for insect pest control is critical for
sustaining agricultural production and improving our environment and health. One strategy is to use organic pesticides for insect
pest control.

Kinds of Insect Pest Methods of Pest Control Organic Pesticides

V. ASSESSMENT (Time Frame: 15mins)

Multiple choice. Choose the letter of the correct answer and write it in your TLE notebook.
__1. Which insect pest attacks plant at night?
A. Cutworms B. Aphids C. Caterpillar D. Grasshopper
__2. What type of pest has three pairs of legs, two pairs of wings, segmented body and compound eyes?
A. Insect B. Rodents C. Mites D. Animal
__3. Which insect pest sucks the sap from the plant, and reduces plant vigor?
A. Aphids B. Snail C. Thrips D. Mites
__4. What insect pest attack leaves of vegetables when it is at the larval stage?
A. Caterpillar B. Cutworms C. Snail D. Aphid
__5. Which insect pest can control with Bacillus thuringiensis?
A. Cutworms B. Aphids C. Caterpillar D. Grasshopper
VI. REFLECTION (Time Frame: 15mins)
• Communicate your personal assessment as indicated in the Learner’s Assessment Card.
Personal Assessment on Learner’s Level of Performance
Using the symbols below, choose one which best describes your experience in working on each given task. Draw it in
the column for Level of Performance (LP). Be guided by the descriptions below:
 - I was able to do/perform the task without any difficulty. The task helped me in understanding the target content/ lesson.
✓ - I was able to do/perform the task. It was quite challenging, but it still helped me in understanding the target
content/lesson.
? – I was not able to do/perform the task. It was extremely difficult. I need additional enrichment activities to be able to
do/perform this task.
Learning Task LP Learning Task LP Learning Task LP Learning Task LP
Number 1 Number 3 Number 5 Number 7
Number 2 Number 4 Number 6 Number 8

VII. REFERENCES https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pest-insects/insect-pests-vegetables?page=0%2C3

https://leafyplace.com/get-rid-of-grasshoppers/
https://familygardenlife.com/organic-snail-and-slug-control/
http://oer.nios.ac.in/wiki/index.php/Types_of_Pests
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/homemade-organic-pesticide-vegetables-45069.html
Prepared by: Alejandra Rodillas Rivere Checked and Geraldine M. Constantino
reviewed by: Maria Madel C. Rubia
Louie L. Fulledo
Generosa F. Zubieta
Ermelo A. Escobinas