WISCONSIN PESTICIDE APPLICATOR EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2025 | TURF & LANDSCAPE | COMPLETE VERSION (ALL CHAPTERS) || ALREADY GRADED A+ < LATEST VERSION >

WISCONSIN PESTICIDE APPLICATOR EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2025 | TURF & LANDSCAPE | COMPLETE VERSION (ALL CHAPTERS) || ALREADY GRADED A+ &lt; LATEST VERSION &gt; 1. Ch.1 List the general kinds of damage insect pests can cause - ANSWER  -Chew on seeds, roots, leaves, stems, & fruits  -Tunnel in roots, stems, & leaves  -Suck plant juices  -Promote gall formation and other malformations  -Inject toxins into plants -Transmit diseases to plants  -Create a nuisance for people 2. Ch.1 Describe the structural features of insects - ANSWER Insects have: body form has 3 regions: head, thorax, abdomen; 3 pairs of legs attached to thorax; 0, 1, or 2 pairs of wings attached to thorax; 1 pair of antennae 3. Ch.1 Explain how to distinguish insects from other arthropods - ANSWER � � Arthropods have: exoskeleton; body form has 2 regions: head & abdomen; usually 4 pairs of legs attached to head; no wings; no antennae 4. Chapter 2 Know the Law - ANSWER State and local laws require landowners to control certain weeds to prevent their spread and distribution 5. Ch.3 Define plant disease and what causes it - ANSWER Any harmful change in the physiology and/or structure of a plant caused by some outside agent. 6. Ch.3 List examples of the major groups of plant pathogens (7) - ANSWER � �  -Fungi (blights)  -Oomycetes (downy mildews) -Nematodes (root rot)  -Bacteria (fire blight  -Phytoplasmas (corn stunts)  -Viruses (soybean mosaic)-Viroids (potato spindle tuber) 7. Ch.3 Describe how the major groups of plant pathogens are spread from plant to plant - ANSWER  -Fungi: wind, rain splash, insect vectors  -Oomycetes: wind, rain splash, transfer of infested soil  -Nematodes: transfer of infested soil, infested planting stock  -Bacteria: rain splash, insect vectors, tools  -Phytoplasmas: only by insect vectors  -Viruses: insect vectors, mechanical transmission, rubbing of infected leaf to another, seed borne, vegetative propagation  -Viroids: mechanical transmission, vegetative propagation 8. Ch.1 Contrast the difference between simple and complete metamorphosis - ANSWER  -Simple: "Incomplete Metamorphosis"; 3 stages: egg, nymph, & adult  -Complete: 4 distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, & adult 9. Ch.1 Explain how temperature and humidity affect insect development - ANSWER *Temperature & humidity preferences vary for each insect. *Combined effect of both on reproduction & development is more dramatically different than the effect of either alone. -Temperature: development is faster with heat & slower with cold temps; insects die at the high levels of developmental threshold temps and become inactive at low levels -Humidity: effects insect diseases; effects moisture levels required for survival 10. Ch.1 List the advantages and disadvantages of using insecticides - ANSWER Advantages:  -Effective against economically damaging pests  -Can combine 1 or 2 insecticides to combat several pests  -They act quickly to control pests before reaching damaging levels  -For new pests, there are many compounds that have been proven effective  -Effective insecticides, suitable formulations, & application equipment are normally available Disadvantages:  -Often eliminate beneficial insects, allowing target organisms to rebound quickly  -Repeated exposure can lead to resistance in a pest population  -Yearly dependence on applications is an added cost  -Always a potential for drift, residues, and damage 11. Ch.2 Explain what determines whether a given plant is a weed - ANSWER � � Weeds are unwanted plants 12. Ch.2 List the two main goals of weed management - ANSWER  Minimize weed competition  Limit the weed's reproduction so that you can still manage the weed population in future years 13. Ch.2 Describe ways that weeds can pose problems in turf and landscapes (7) - ANSWER  -Interfere with management practices  -Produce chemical inhibitors that directly retard the growth of desirable plants (allelopathy)  -Create a poor impression on customers  -Interferes with pesticide applications  -Support insect pests and plant diseases or provide cover for rodents  -Are poisonous, allergenic, or irritating to people or pets  -Dry out or die and become fire hazards 14. Ch.2 Distinguish grasses from broadleaf plants and woody from herbaceous plants - ANSWER  -Grasses (Monocots): most common weeds; have a single seed leaf (cotyledon) when they germinate; narrow leaves with parallel viens  -Broadleaves (Dicots): have 2 seed leaves when they germinate; veins form a net-like or branching pattern; can be broken down into Woody and Herbaceous plants  Woody: have thickened outer layer on stems (bark)  Herbaceous: lacks bark 15. Ch. 2 Describe the life cycles and propagation of annual, biennial, and perennial plants - ANSWER -Annuals: live less than 12 months; most seeds germinate the following year, some are dormant taking several years; prolific seed producers.  Summer Annuals: germinate from seed in spring, flower/produce seeds in summer, die in late summer/early fall.  Winter Annuals: germinate from seed in fall, overwinter as low growing plants, flower/produce seeds in spring, then die. -Biennials: live for 2 growing seasons; germinate from seeds in spring or summer and produce a rosette of leaves, overwinter in rosette stage, flower the following year, produce seed, and die. -Perennials: live for at least 2 years, sometimes longer; may reproduce by seed or spread vegetatively (stolons, rhizomes, spreading roots, tubers, bulbs) 16. Ch.2 Outline what is needed to kill annual, biennial, and perennial weeds and when it is easiest to do so - ANSWER -Annuals: kill the whole shoot by tillage or with herbicides during seeding stage.  Summer Annuals: kill with tillage or herbicides during seeding stage.  Winter Annuals: kill with tillage or herbicides during seeding stage. -Biennials: best controlled with herbicides during rosette stage. Perennials: controlled by repeatedly tilling or with herbicides that translocates to all plant parts. 17. Ch.2 Distinguish the difference between preplant, preemergence, and postemergence herbicide applications - ANSWER  -Preplant: done before planting.  -Preemergence: usually (not always) done after planting but before plants/weeds emerge.  -Postemergence: done selectively after plants/weeds emerge; timing is important; if the desirable plant is smaller or larger than the growth stage listed on the label, it may be damaged by the herbicide.