Overview
Sustainable management of pest animals, plant diseases and weeds is paramount to successfully managing agricultural and natural environments. This unit introduces you to the principles of plant protection and the relevant foundation disciplines of weed science, plant pathology (the science of plant diseases) and entomology (insect science). You will learn key aspects of biology and identification of weeds, pests and plant diseases. You will be introduced to ecological principles of their interactions with agricultural and natural environments. Guided by this fundamental knowledge you will understand, plan and evaluate protection strategies for a range of agricultural and natural environments.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite 48 Credit Points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
Inclusion of topical learning materials
Learning materials are updated to provide topical and relevant information. It is recommended that lectures and tutorials be continually refreshed to update information and provide topical case studies for discussion.
Feedback from SUTE
Provide skills and knowledge for the workforce
Tutorials focus on research and industry topics to provide networks and relevant knowledge. Assessment is also orientated for job ready communication skills to target relevant audiences. It is recommended to involve more researchers and stakeholders to provide industry insight and greater networking opportunities.
Feedback from SUTE
Continue to promote networking with industry professionals
Live weekly workshops are held to encourage networking with industry stakeholders and researchers. It is recommended to review and update lectures, tutorials and assessment to maintain information relevance to agriculture students.
Feedback from SUTE
Provide additional assessment feedback
Assessment is orientated towards future careers. For example: weed identification, fact sheet development and a consultancy report. Feedback is provided on all written assessment. Feedback information includes the mark breakdown (aligned with rubric) and general statements. It is recommended that feedback will be clearer and informative and provided in a timely manner.