This element is about how pests and pathogens are introduced to a site and the impact on plant health. You will need to discuss control measures to prevent and manage outbreaks of pests and pathogens to include:
- Physical
- Cultural
- Chemical
- Biological
These are covered here: R2103 Maintaining plant health. You also have to know something about the legalities of pest control, and there is a list of what is reportable on the DEFRA website: https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/pests-and-diseases/
AO2: the impact of economic threshold, resistant cultivars, humidity on plant health decisions. Influence of temperature on fecundity. Restrictions and opportunities offered by different growing systems eg: organic cultivation practices. The concept of notifiable pests and diseases including actions when identified.
The economic threshold is the point at which the cost of the control measures will provide an economic return. For example, if you spent £100 on a control measure on some crops, they would need to be worth that money. The resistant cultivars part of AO2, I think suggests perhaps trying to grow resistant cultivars of something to avoid the pest or disease. For example, there are now blight-tolerant or resistant types of tomato that you might try to grow if you have had blight previously. The influence of temperature on fecundity – I have to admit I am not sure if they are asking about the pest/pathogen or the plant! Some pests are able to reproduce more if conditions and temperatures are favourable, such as aphids. But then, plants can grow better in the right temperature conditions too. The restrictions/opportunities offered by different growing systems could be something like, organic practices try to allow nature to reach it’s natural balance and all pests/pathogens are thereby kept in check. Or hydroponic growing can lead to rapid disease spread if the pathogen is allowed to get in to the growing liquid and reproduce to spread to all of the plants in the system.
AO3: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) including prioritising non-chemical control measures. Benefits of garden health plans as holistic tools to manage plant health. Intended and un-intended impacs of control measures on biodiversity.
Integrated Pest Management is just a fancy way of saying setting up your growing in a way that will reduce pest and pathogens. That could mean some chemical control if necessary, but also adopting cultural controls to manage your plot effectively. The syllabus actually says prioritising non-chemical control measures, so that is what I think they want you to focus on. For example: building a pond to attract frogs to eat the slugs, rather than sprinking slug pellets about. Garden health plans require you to think about all of the potential impacts on plant health and to consider actions that you could take to manage these. IPM is a component of a garden health plan, along with the management of other, non living factors.
Gardening studies 