AGRI 31 – Fundamentals of Crop Science I

Laboratory Exercise No. 6

Identification and Classification of Crop Pest Based on
Morphological Traits and Damage Characteristics

WORKSHEET

Name: Maaria Joycelyn M. Abejar Section: F2L

Student No. 2023-04234 Score:

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the exercise, the student should be able to:

1. identify the major pests of selected crops;

2. describe the damage characteristics caused by the major pests in selected crops,
and;
3. discuss how the pest interference and damage impair crop productivity and yield
quality.

Learning Activities

General instructions: Examine the given laboratory specimens. Take photos of the
samples highlighting the damage characteristics and the signs and symptoms. Provide the
required information in Tables 1-3 and include generated photos in Figures 1-3. Note, for
the samples which are not available during the conduct of the experiment, you may get
information from any reliable published literature.

Activity 1: Identification and classification of insect pests based on its feeding damage
characteristics

Table 1. Morphological characteristics of feeding damage caused by insects of different types

of mouthparts, mites, snails, and root knot nematodes. (36 points)

Invertebrate Pests Host Crop Feeding damage Figure

characteristics
A. Class: Insecta – Crop Insect
pests
1. Biting and Chewing
a. Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Coconut - Palmate leaves demonstrate 1a
CRB damage with scalloped
edges and cuts that look
straight depending on your
viewing angle.
- Causes boreholes and angled
cuts.
2. Chewing and lapping

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 AGRI 31 – Fundamentals of Crop Science I

b. Aphids in legumes Stringbean - Suck plant sap which stunts 1b

plants and causes heavily
infested leaves to curl.
- Excrete honeydew, a sugary
substance that causes sticky,
shiny leaves and black sooty
mold growth
3. Piercing and sucking
c. Rice bug Rice - Rice bugs damage rice by 1c
sucking out the contents of
developing grains from pre-
flowering spikelets to the soft
dough stage. This results in
unfilled or empty grains and
discoloration.
- Empty grains or small,
shriveled, deformed grains
with a spotty discoloration
B. Class Arachnida:
Phytophagous mites
d. Coconut Mite Coconut - Scarring and distortion of 1d
fruit, which may cause
premature fruit drop.
C. Class Mollusca
e. Apple Gold snails Rice - They damage stalks below 1e
the water surface and feed on
tillers and leaves under water.
- They make rasp-like cuts on
host plants.
D. Class: Nematoda
f. Nematodes Crucifers - The formation of these galls 1f
damages the water- and
nutrient-conducting abilities
of the roots.

A B C

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 AGRI 31 – Fundamentals of Crop Science I

D E F

Figure 1. Photos showing the feeding damage characteristics of identified invertebrate

pests. (6 points)

Discuss the effects of insect pest damage on yield and quality of produce. (5 points)

- These pests damage crops in various ways and consequently reduce yields. Some of them
directly damage the leaves, stems, roots, and branches of crops and impair physiological
processes such as photosynthesis, absorption of water and nutrients, translocation of
assimilates, and transpiration. Some of them compete with crops for resources needed for
establishment and growth such as water, nutrients, sunlight, and CO2 or thus affecting the
quantity and quality of grains, fruits or produce. Others completely kill seedlings of crops.

Activity 2: Identification of plant pathogens its associated signs and symptoms

Table 2. Identification and characterization of signs and symptoms of plant diseases caused
by bacterial, virus, and fungal pathogens. (24 points)

Causal organism Host crop Description of symptoms Figure

and signs
A. Bacteria
1. Bacterial wilt of Tomato Wilting, base of the plant 2a
tomato may show brown cankers
and root rot, the cross
section of an infected
stem may show a brown
discoloration of the
vascular tissue, stunted
growth and low
productivity of tomato
plants.
B. Virus

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 AGRI 31 – Fundamentals of Crop Science I

2. Papaya Ringspot Papaya Include a distortion of 2b

virus young leaves which also
result in the development
of a shoestring
appearance that
resembles mite damage.
3. Rice tungro Rice Discoloration: leaves turn 2c
bacilliform virus yellow to orange
(badnavirus) especially the young
leaves; uneven plant
growth; stunting; mottling
of leaves; and less tiller
number.
C. Fungi
4. Mango Mango Young infected fruits 2d
anthracnose develop black spots,
shrivel and fall off.
Infection of mature fruit
leads to losses in storage.

A B

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 AGRI 31 – Fundamentals of Crop Science I

C
D

Figure 2. Photos showing the signs and symptoms of the identified pathogenic organisms.
(4 points)

Discuss the effects of pathogen infection on specific metabolic functions

resulting in significant economic yield losses. (5 points)

- In Nutrient Absorption, pathogens may disrupt the plant's ability to uptake essential nutrients,
affecting metabolic processes crucial for growth and development. The economic impacts of
these effects can be severe, resulting in lower agricultural yields, higher rates in livestock,
lower product quality, higher input costs for disease management, and potential trade
restrictions due to diseased produce. As a result, these variables can result in significant
financial losses for farmers, agricultural companies, and the economy as a whole. To decrease
the economic losses caused by pathogen infections, effective disease management,
prevention strategies, and biosecurity procedures are essential.

Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños