Plant, Pest & Diseases skills program has been developed to enable the pest control operator to become proficient in weed control procedures. This skills programme has been designed to be used in commercial, industrial and road shoulders, railway lines, substation environments and Working for Water programs. (The Plant, Pest & Diseases program is based on Agriseta Unit Standards 116301, 9058, 8168 & 1233756.).

Click here to see a sample of the e-learning material
Click here to register for e-learning. We will respond with the relevant registration documents

Duration

Cost
Maximum of one year to complete
Thereafter student must re-register		 Please enquire

Training Information

The Plant, Pest & Diseases skills program deals with the following elements:

  1. Inspection Procedures
  2. Identification of Weeds and Declared invaders
  3. Selection of Herbicides / Weed Killers
  4. Selection and Calibration of Equipment
  5. Safety precautions
  6. Application techniques
  7. Monitoring procedures
  8. Clean up procedures

The student will register for the course and receive a password to access the on line training course where the manual format training material is set out in training segments per subject theme. This manual is complimented with a whole host of training videos especially produced to show all the practical elements needed to come to grips with the subject material. For every training segment the learner will complete the required workbook and this will be submitted automatically on line as well. On completion the learner will complete a practical assessment either on line via a Skype platform or in person at our training academy.

Students will receive one year to complete the course after which all access privileges will lapse.

Course Content

TOPIC 1 DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF PESTICIDES IN TERMS OF TYPE AND GROUPING
  1. Introduction
  2. The RSA Classification Code
  3. Pesticide Classification, properties and products
TOPIC 2 PLANT PESTS AND DISEASES – GENERAL
  1. Introduction
  2. Principles of Pest Control
  3. Health & Nuisance Pests
  4. Pest Identification
  5. Pest Control
  6. Pest Control Goals
  7. Threshold Levels
  8. Pest Monitoring
  9. Avoiding Harmful Effects
  10. Diseases Caused by Pest-borne Pathogens
  11. Pests and Public Health
  12. Carriers and Vectors
  13. Poison Irritation and Allergy
  14. Pests and Diseases
  15. Diseases Encountered on the Job
  16. Recommended PPE
  17. Integrated Pest Management
  18. Pest Control Failures
  19. The IPM Concept
  20. Advantages of Integrating a range of control methods
TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTORY CONCEPTS IN THE STUDY OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)
  1. The Ecological Basis of Pest Management
  2. Industry Trends and Protocols that impact on IPM
  3. Using Pesticides
  4. Barriers that could impact on IPM
TOPIC 4 PUBLIC RELATIONS
  1. General Guidance
  2. Acceptance of Slow-Acting Controls
  3. Structural Modifications
  4. Surveillance
  5. Tolerance of Occasional Low-Level Sightings
  6. Sanitation
TOPIC 5 GENERAL STEPS IN IPM
  1. The Six Steps of the IPM Process
    1. Understanding and Educations the Customer
    2. Analyzing the Pest Problem
    3. Taking Short-Term Corrective Action
    4. Implementing Long-Term Preventive Action
    5. Monitoring, Documenting and Evaluating Results
    6. Getting Back to the Customer
  2. Summary
TOPIC 6 TREATMENT SELECTION
  1. IPM Control Principles
  2. Cultural Control
  3. Mechanical and Physical Control
  4. Biological Control
  5. Chemical Control
  6. Selecting Treatment Strategies
  7. Criteria for selecting treatment strategies
  8. Timing treatments
  9. Spot Treatments
  10. Summary of available treatment options
  11. How to select a Pesticide for an IPM Programme
  12. Pesticide Use Guidelines
  13. Other Miscellaneous IPM procedures
TOPIC 7 THE IDENTIFICATION OF PLANT PESTS AND DISEASES
  1. Ants
  2. Scales
  3. Mealybugs
  4. Aphids
  5. Whiteflies
  6. Leafhoppers and Stinkbugs
  7. Mites
  8. Thrips
  9. Fruit Flies and Moths
  10. Caterpillars
  11. Army Worms
  12. Flower Beetles
  13. Moles
  14. Fleas
  15. Ticks
  16. Ants
  17. Birds
  18. Snakes
TOPIC 8 CONTROL METHODS
  1. Introduction
  2. Flea Control
  3. Tick Control
  4. Control of Ants
  5. Snake Control
  6. Lawn Diseases
    1. Brown Patch
    2. Dollar Spot
    3. Fairy Ring
    4. Rust
    5. Pythium Blight
    6. Anthracnose
TOPIC 9 SAFETY ON THE JOBS