Major Crop Insect Pests and Integrated Pest Management MCQs 2026

In IPM, the economic threshold level means the pest density at which:

1. A Control action should start to prevent economic loss ✓
2. B All insects in the field must be eliminated ✓
3. C Only biological control can be used ✓
4. D Harvest should immediately be stopped ✓

Intercropping and trap cropping are classified mainly as:

1. A Only systemic pesticide methods ✓
2. B Cultural or ecological pest management tactics ✓
3. C Stored grain fumigation methods ✓
4. D Laboratory diagnostic tests ✓

In rice stem borer attack, white head refers to:

1. A A chaffy panicle that dries and turns white after panicle-stage injury ✓
2. B A fungal growth on seed bags ✓
3. C A mealybug colony on roots ✓
4. D A nitrogen deficiency spot on leaves ✓

Proper sprayer nozzle calibration in pest management ensures:

1. A Higher pest resistance by design ✓
2. B Automatic pest identification ✓
3. C No need for protective equipment ✓
4. D Correct dose and uniform coverage per unit area ✓

Aphid colonies often lead to sooty mold because aphids:

1. A Bore into woody stems only ✓
2. B Convert leaves into galls in rice ✓
3. C Excrete sugary honeydew on plant surfaces ✓
4. D Feed only on pollen after harvest ✓

Neem-based products in IPM commonly act as:

1. A Pure nitrogen fertilizers ✓
2. B Antifeedants, repellents, and growth disruptors ✓
3. C Only contact herbicides ✓
4. D Soil salinity amendments ✓

Refuge planting with Bt crops is recommended mainly to:

1. A Slow resistance development in target insect populations ✓
2. B Increase expression of weeds ✓
3. C Remove all beneficial insects ✓
4. D Eliminate seed certification needs ✓

Trap cropping works in IPM by:

1. A Increasing weeds for alternate hosts ✓
2. B Replacing pest identification ✓
3. C Making all insecticides ineffective ✓
4. D Attracting pests to a preferred crop where they can be managed ✓

Thrips injury on cotton or vegetables commonly appears as:

1. A Large tunnels inside mature bolls only ✓
2. B White heads in rice panicles ✓
3. C Silvery streaks or bronzing from rasping and sucking ✓
4. D Root knots caused by nematodes ✓

The most appropriate basis for deciding an insecticide spray in IPM is:

1. A The date of the previous season spray ✓
2. B Pest population compared with the recommended threshold ✓
3. C The color of the sprayer tank ✓
4. D The number of neighboring farms ✓

Green lacewing larvae are useful in IPM because they prey on:

1. A Aphids, whiteflies, jassids, and small caterpillars ✓
2. B Only mature sugarcane stalks ✓
3. C Plant roots as primary food ✓
4. D Rice grains in storage only ✓

Deep summer ploughing can reduce some insect pest populations by:

1. A Increasing survival of pupae in soil ✓
2. B Making all pests resistant to sprays ✓
3. C Preventing seed germination permanently ✓
4. D Exposing soil stages to heat, desiccation, and predators ✓

Light traps are most useful for:

1. A Measuring soil pH ✓
2. B Counting root nematode eggs only ✓
3. C Monitoring nocturnal adult moth activity ✓
4. D Applying granular fertilizer ✓

Fruit fly damage in cucurbits and fruits begins when females:

1. A Cut stems at the soil surface ✓
2. B Lay eggs under the fruit skin ✓
3. C Make silver shoots in leaves ✓
4. D Feed only on dried grain ✓

Sugarcane pyrilla is primarily a:

1. A Leaf-sucking hopper pest ✓
2. B Root-boring beetle larva ✓
3. C Stored grain moth ✓
4. D Fungal leaf spot ✓

Pest resurgence after spraying commonly occurs when broad-spectrum insecticides:

1. A Increase soil organic matter instantly ✓
2. B Prevent all future pest immigration ✓
3. C Act only as pheromones ✓
4. D Kill natural enemies more than the target pest ✓

Integrated pest management is best described as:

1. A Using the strongest pesticide first in every case ✓
2. B Avoiding field scouting to save time ✓
3. C Combining compatible tactics based on pest ecology and thresholds ✓
4. D Growing one crop continuously to concentrate pests ✓

Hand picking egg masses and larvae in small plots is an example of:

1. A Genetic engineering only ✓
2. B Mechanical control ✓
3. C Soil fertility management ✓
4. D Systemic insecticide action ✓

The economic injury level is best defined as the:

1. A Lowest pest density that causes economic damage ✓
2. B Highest pesticide dose allowed by law ✓
3. C Number of beneficial insects per acre ✓
4. D Final harvest moisture percentage ✓

Cotton whitefly is important not only as a sucking pest but also because it:

1. A Produces rice white heads ✓
2. B Fixes atmospheric nitrogen ✓
3. C Controls mealybug naturally ✓
4. D Transmits cotton leaf curl virus complex ✓

Predators, parasitoids, and pathogens used against pests are examples of:

1. A Chemical fertilizers ✓
2. B Soil amendments only ✓
3. C Biological control agents ✓
4. D Harvest indices ✓

Termite damage in wheat and other field crops often appears as:

1. A Folded leaves with scraped green tissue ✓
2. B Drying plants in patches that pull out easily ✓
3. C Silver shoots replacing leaves ✓
4. D Honeydew on upper leaves only ✓

To protect pollinators while managing crop pests, the best practice is to:

1. A Avoid spraying during bloom and active bee foraging ✓
2. B Spray insecticide directly on hives ✓
3. C Use maximum dose at midday on flowering crops ✓
4. D Remove all flowering plants around farms ✓

Diamondback moth is a difficult pest of crucifers largely because it:

1. A Feeds only on rice roots ✓
2. B Cannot reproduce under warm conditions ✓
3. C Is controlled by nitrogen fertilizer alone ✓
4. D Develops resistance rapidly to many insecticides ✓

Seed treatment in pest management is mainly intended to:

1. A Kill all pests present at flowering ✓
2. B Increase pesticide drift ✓
3. C Protect germinating seed and seedlings from early pests ✓
4. D Replace crop rotation permanently ✓

A common field character of fall armyworm larvae is:

1. A A hard shell covering the whole body like a beetle ✓
2. B An inverted Y mark on the head with four dark spots near the rear ✓
3. C Cottony wax filaments on roots only ✓
4. D Transparent wings at larval stage ✓

Conservation of natural enemies in IPM is promoted by:

1. A Avoiding unnecessary broad-spectrum insecticide applications ✓
2. B Spraying every field weekly without scouting ✓
3. C Removing all field borders and refuges ✓
4. D Increasing dust on crop leaves ✓

Rotating insecticides with different IRAC mode-of-action groups helps:

1. A Increase pest mutation deliberately ✓
2. B Replace the need for correct dose ✓
3. C Make all sprays organic ✓
4. D Delay development of resistance in pest populations ✓

Mustard aphid damage is most severe when colonies feed on:

1. A Deep tap roots only ✓
2. B Dry seed in storage only ✓
3. C Tender shoots, leaves, and inflorescences by sucking sap ✓
4. D Rice panicles at flowering ✓

Rice leaf folder is best recognized by leaves that are:

1. A Converted into silver shoots ✓
2. B Folded longitudinally with scraped green tissue inside ✓
3. C Cut at the base below soil level ✓
4. D Covered with cottony wax on roots ✓

When crop market value is high and control cost is low, the economic injury level generally:

1. A Becomes lower ✓
2. B Becomes infinite ✓
3. C Has no relation to pest density ✓
4. D Is used only after harvest ✓

Yellow sticky traps are commonly used for monitoring:

1. A Soil nematodes only ✓
2. B Stored grain beetle larvae inside kernels ✓
3. C Large rodents in wheat fields ✓
4. D Whiteflies, aphids, and other small flying sucking pests ✓

Insect growth regulators are useful in IPM because they:

1. A Supply nitrogen to the crop ✓
2. B Sterilize farm machinery only ✓
3. C Disrupt molting or normal insect development ✓
4. D Increase seed moisture content ✓

In bollworm management, the crop injury is mainly caused by the:

1. A Adult moth feeding on dry leaves ✓
2. B Larval stage feeding on squares, flowers, or bolls ✓
3. C Egg stage sucking plant sap ✓
4. D Pupal stage cutting roots ✓

Armyworm outbreaks in cereals and fodder crops usually cause:

1. A Rapid defoliation and cutting of tender plants ✓
2. B Internal rotting of harvested fruits ✓
3. C Silver shoot formation in rice ✓
4. D Only root nodulation failure ✓

Destroying infested crop residues after harvest helps manage insect pests by:

1. A Increasing volunteer plants for pests ✓
2. B Protecting only fungal pathogens ✓
3. C Making pheromone traps unnecessary ✓
4. D Reducing carryover stages such as larvae and pupae ✓

Stem borer larvae in cereals cause serious losses because they:

1. A Feed only on pollen grains after harvest ✓
2. B Attack only the seed coat in storage ✓
3. C Bore into stems and damage the growing point or panicle supply ✓
4. D Cause nitrogen fixation in roots ✓

Cotton mealybug injury is commonly accompanied by:

1. A White heads in rice panicles ✓
2. B Honeydew secretion and sooty mold growth ✓
3. C Shot holes in mustard pods ✓
4. D Complete absence of ants ✓

Host plant resistance helps IPM mainly by:

1. A Reducing pest establishment, survival, or reproduction ✓
2. B Increasing pesticide residue on produce ✓
3. C Eliminating the need for field monitoring ✓
4. D Making weeds more competitive ✓

A sound IPM decision in a crop field should begin with:

1. A Immediate calendar spraying at fixed dates ✓
2. B Removing all flowering border plants ✓
3. C Using only one insecticide every season ✓
4. D Regular scouting and correct pest identification ✓

Silver shoot symptom in rice is most closely associated with:

1. A Cotton mealybug ✓
2. B Sugarcane pyrilla ✓
3. C Rice gall midge ✓
4. D Mustard sawfly ✓

The damaging stage of white grubs in field crops is generally the:

1. A Egg stage on leaf surface ✓
2. B Larval stage feeding on roots ✓
3. C Adult stage feeding on nectar only ✓
4. D Pupal stage in plant stems ✓

Shoot fly damage in young sorghum is commonly recognized by:

1. A Dead heart formation in seedlings ✓
2. B Round holes in mature grain ✓
3. C Galls on panicles ✓
4. D Rust pustules on leaves ✓

Rice brown planthopper becomes most damaging when it:

1. A Cuts panicles with chewing mandibles ✓
2. B Bores directly into rice grain after harvest ✓
3. C Scrapes only the upper leaf wax ✓
4. D Sucks phloem sap in large numbers causing hopper burn ✓

Sex pheromone traps in crop pest management are primarily used to:

1. A Measure soil fertility level ✓
2. B Kill all beneficial insects ✓
3. C Monitor adult male moth activity and time interventions ✓
4. D Diagnose bacterial blight ✓

Pink bollworm damage in cotton is especially difficult to detect early because larvae usually:

1. A Remain only on the lower leaf surface ✓
2. B Feed inside flowers, bolls, and seeds ✓
3. C Attack only exposed roots ✓
4. D Feed only on weeds around the field ✓

Hopper burn in cotton caused by jassid results mainly from:

1. A Sap sucking and toxin injection from leaves ✓
2. B Boring into unopened bolls ✓
3. C Cutting seedlings at ground level ✓
4. D Feeding on stored seed only ✓

Trichogramma species used in IPM are mainly:

1. A Predators of adult beetles ✓
2. B Fungal pathogens of aphids ✓
3. C Nematodes that attack weeds ✓
4. D Egg parasitoids of lepidopteran pests ✓

The gram pod borer, a key pest of chickpea and cotton, is scientifically known as:

1. A Leucinodes orbonalis ✓
2. B Scirpophaga incertulas ✓
3. C Helicoverpa armigera ✓
4. D Nilaparvata lugens ✓

Dead heart in vegetative rice and white head at panicle stage are typical symptoms of:

1. A Rice leaf folder attack ✓
2. B Rice stem borer attack ✓
3. C Rice hispa attack ✓
4. D Rice caseworm attack ✓

A decision support system for IPM may use

1. A only astrology ✓
2. B only fertilizer bag colors ✓
3. C only tractor brand loyalty ✓
4. D weather, pest models and field data to guide actions ✓

Botanical pesticides in IPM are valued when they

1. A always outperform all synthetics on every pest ✓
2. B need no dose accuracy ✓
3. C offer shorter residual and fit eco-friendly programs ✓
4. D are safe to drink ✓

Sterile insect technique is an area-wide method that

1. A increases fertile swarms ✓
2. B replaces all crop rotation ✓
3. C cures soil salinity ✓
4. D releases sterilized males to reduce successful reproduction ✓

IPM success is measured not only by kill rate but by

1. A yield protection, cost, residues and ecological impact ✓
2. B number of sprays alone ✓
3. C empty pesticide containers counted ✓
4. D how fast beneficials disappear ✓

Training farmers on ETL reduces

1. A the need for any crop knowledge ✓
2. B market demand for produce ✓
3. C soil organic matter automatically ✓
4. D unnecessary pesticide applications ✓

In Pakistan cotton systems, IPM historically stressed

1. A maximum early pyrethroid calendars as ideal ✓
2. B zero monitoring of jassid/whitefly ✓
3. C ignoring bollworm thresholds ✓
4. D avoiding early unnecessary sprays to conserve beneficials ✓

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is best defined as

1. A exclusive reliance on daily calendar sprays ✓
2. B a coordinated use of multiple tactics to keep pests below damaging levels ✓
3. C complete ban on all monitoring ✓
4. D use of only one insecticide forever ✓

The primary goal of IPM is to

1. A eradicate every insect including beneficials ✓
2. B manage pests economically with minimal environmental and health risk ✓
3. C maximize pesticide sales volume ✓
4. D ignore crop damage costs ✓

Economic Threshold Level (ETL) in IPM is the

1. A pest density at which control measures should be initiated ✓
2. B point where all beneficials must be killed ✓
3. C same as zero insects in every field ✓
4. D level where fungicides replace insecticides always ✓

Economic Injury Level (EIL) represents

1. A the first sighting of any pest ✓
2. B a fixed 50% leaf damage rule for all crops ✓
3. C the pest density where damage cost equals control cost ✓
4. D the label dose of any pesticide ✓

Scouting in IPM means

1. A spraying without visiting fields ✓
2. B counting only tractor hours ✓
3. C measuring only canal discharge ✓
4. D systematic field monitoring of pests, damage and natural enemies ✓

A key principle of IPM is

1. A calendar spraying regardless of pest numbers ✓
2. B destroying all predators first ✓
3. C prevention and monitoring before chemical intervention ✓
4. D using maximum dose every week ✓

Cultural control in IPM includes

1. A crop rotation, resistant varieties and adjusted sowing dates ✓
2. B only aerial ULV insecticide ✓
3. C only soil fumigation always ✓
4. D only light traps without any other tactic ✓

Biological control relies on

1. A only broad-spectrum organophosphates ✓
2. B only deep ploughing ✓
3. C predators, parasitoids and pathogens of pests ✓
4. D only nitrogen fertilizers ✓

Conservation biological control aims to

1. A import only exotic pests ✓
2. B protect and enhance existing natural enemies in the field ✓
3. C eliminate flowering strips always ✓
4. D spray pyrethroids daily on beneficials ✓

Augmentative biological control involves

1. A banning all parasitoids ✓
2. B increasing pest refuges only ✓
3. C releasing mass-reared natural enemies when needed ✓
4. D replacing ETL with guesswork ✓

Classical biological control typically means

1. A daily insecticide rotation only ✓
2. B hand weeding alone ✓
3. C seed priming with urea ✓
4. D introducing exotic natural enemies against invasive pests ✓

Mechanical/physical IPM tactics include

1. A only systemic seed treatments ✓
2. B only resistance breeding ✓
3. C traps, barriers, hand picking and destruction of infested parts ✓
4. D only weather forecasting ✓

Host-plant resistance in IPM provides

1. A varieties that tolerate or deter pest attack ✓
2. B guaranteed zero need for any other tactic forever ✓
3. C immunity to drought only ✓
4. D higher pesticide residues ✓

Selective pesticides are preferred in IPM because they

1. A reduce harm to many beneficial organisms ✓
2. B kill bees and predators most efficiently ✓
3. C have no pre-harvest interval ever ✓
4. D require no label reading ✓

Broad-spectrum insecticides in IPM should be

1. A applied every day preventively ✓
2. B mixed randomly without PPE ✓
3. C used sparingly and only when justified by thresholds ✓
4. D used to wipe out all insects including pollinators as a goal ✓

Pesticide resistance management in IPM emphasizes

1. A repeating one product all season ✓
2. B rotating modes of action and avoiding unnecessary sprays ✓
3. C under-dosing chronically ✓
4. D ignoring refugia and thresholds ✓

Action thresholds may differ by

1. A a single number for all crops worldwide ✓
2. B crop stage, pest species and market value ✓
3. C only the brand of sprayer ✓
4. D province name alone without biology ✓

Sampling plans in IPM help to

1. A replace all field visits with rumors ✓
2. B estimate pest density reliably for decision making ✓
3. C guarantee epidemic outbreaks ✓
4. D eliminate record keeping ✓

Pheromone-based mating disruption is an IPM tool that

1. A adds nitrogen to leaves ✓
2. B cures fungal rusts ✓
3. C raises soil pH ✓
4. D confuses males and reduces successful mating of moth pests ✓

Push-pull strategies in IPM combine

1. A only flood irrigation ✓
2. B only deep ripping ✓
3. C only urea top-dressing ✓
4. D repellent intercrops with attractive trap crops ✓

IPM for cotton whitefly emphasizes

1. A daily cocktails of all insecticides ✓
2. B monitoring, ETL, natural enemies and avoiding unnecessary sprays ✓
3. C burning all cotton stalks every morning ✓
4. D ignoring CLCuD risk entirely ✓

Clean cultivation and destruction of alternate hosts help IPM by

1. A increasing overwintering sites ✓
2. B reducing pest carry-over between seasons ✓
3. C guaranteeing more bollworms ✓
4. D eliminating crop rotation benefits ✓

Intercropping can support IPM when it

1. A always increases monoculture pest risk ✓
2. B diversifies habitat and may reduce pest outbreaks ✓
3. C removes all predators ✓
4. D requires daily broad-spectrum sprays ✓

Refugia in resistance management are areas that

1. A are sprayed most heavily ✓
2. B contain only resistant pests ✓
3. C maintain susceptible pest individuals to dilute resistance genes ✓
4. D ban all crop plants ✓

Bt crops fit IPM best when growers

1. A abandon all scouting forever ✓
2. B spray Bt fields daily with the same MoA ✓
3. C follow refuge rules and still monitor secondary pests ✓
4. D ignore non-target pests completely ✓

Record keeping in IPM is useful for

1. A hiding illegal pesticide use ✓
2. B avoiding any learning across seasons ✓
3. C replacing thresholds with memory alone ✓
4. D tracking pest trends, spray history and resistance risk ✓

Farmer Field Schools often promote IPM by

1. A participatory learning of agroecosystem analysis ✓
2. B lecturing only without field practice ✓
3. C distributing free calendar spray charts only ✓
4. D banning farmer observation ✓

Chemical control is the last resort in classic IPM hierarchy after

1. A prevention, cultural, biological and mechanical options are considered ✓
2. B the first sighting of a single insect ✓
3. C buying the cheapest drum available ✓
4. D harvest is completed ✓

Compatibility of pesticides with biological control means

1. A choosing products and timing that spare key natural enemies ✓
2. B tank-mixing everything toxic ✓
3. C spraying at peak predator activity always ✓
4. D using highest label rate always ✓

Area-wide IPM is more effective when

1. A each farm sprays opposite chemistries randomly ✓
2. B quarantine is ignored ✓
3. C pest sources are left unmanaged nearby ✓
4. D neighboring farmers coordinate monitoring and tactics ✓

Weed IPM integrates

1. A cultural, mechanical and judicious herbicide use ✓
2. B only hand weeding forever with no other tool ✓
3. C only one herbicide forever ✓
4. D ignoring crop competition ✓

Disease IPM (IDM) shares with insect IPM the use of

1. A resistant varieties, sanitation, rotation and need-based chemicals ✓
2. B only insecticides on fungi ✓
3. C only light traps for bacteria ✓
4. D only pheromones for viruses ✓

Overuse of insecticides can cause

1. A permanent elimination of all pests forever ✓
2. B resurgence, secondary pest outbreaks and resistance ✓
3. C increased biodiversity always ✓
4. D higher natural enemy populations always ✓

Pest resurgence after spraying often results from

1. A increasing predator numbers ✓
2. B improving ETL accuracy ✓
3. C killing natural enemies more than the target pest ✓
4. D better scouting ✓