IOWA ORNAMENTAL AND TURFGRASS
PEST MANAGEMENT CATEGORY 3 OT
STUDY GUIDE 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥ Pesticides used for IPM in the landscape include: Answer: Fungicide,
growth regulators, herbicides, insecticides, miticides, mollyscicides,
repellents, and rodenticides.
⩥ Contact Pesticides Answer: Must physically touch the pest organism
or be sprayed on the site the pest frequents to get exert an action.
⩥ Protective or Preventive Fungicides Answer: Provide a protectant
barrier that prevents the fungus from entering and damaging plant
tissues.
⩥ Systemic Pesticide Answer: Enters the plant via roots or above ground
plant tissues and is moved inside the plant.
⩥ Curative Fungicide Answer: Because this chemical penetrates the
plant and stops the disease after the infection has started or after the first
symptoms are observed.
,⩥ Nonselective Pesticides Answer: Exert their action on a wide variety
of pests.
⩥ Selective Pesticides Answer: Will control only certain types or stages
of pests while leaving non-target organisms unaffected.
⩥ Pre-emergence Herbicides Answer: Are applied prior to weed seed
germination.
⩥ Post-emergence Herbicides Answer: Are applied to weeds that are
actively growing.
⩥ Insects Answer: The younger the insect stage the more susceptible it
is to chemical control.
⩥ Herbicides Answer: Are most effective when applied to actively
growing plants.
⩥ Annual Weeds Answer: Are easiest to control early in the spring
while they are still small, regardless if they are summer annuals.
,⩥ Biennials Answer: Should be treated in the fall or early spring when
in the rosette stage.
⩥ Perennial Weeds Answer: Can be controlled with herbicide
applications made in the early bloom stage or in the fall when the plant
is transporting food reserves to the underground root system.
⩥ Pesticide Resistance Answer: Is an inherited trait that results from
repeated applications of pesticides with the same site of action or mode
of action.
⩥ To delay onset of resistance you should: Answer: Rotate pesticides
with different sites or modes of action.
⩥ Municipality Answer: Includes any city or developed residential area
in Iowa.
⩥ Urban Answer: Means any area within or belonging to a city or
developed residential area.
⩥ Water pH Answer: Is one characteristic of concern. A breakdown of
the active ingredients may occur if the water is alkaline (pH>7); this is
, called alkaline hydrolysis. In contrast, under acidic conditions (pH<7),
some pesticides are broken down by acid hydrolysis.
⩥ Fixed copper or lime fungicides Answer: Should not be mixed with a
buffering agent. Otherwise, the mixture will be phytoxic to plant.
⩥ pH 3.5-6.0 Answer: Spray mixture can be stored for 12-24 hours
⩥ pH 6.1-7.0 Answer: Spray mixture should be used within 1-2 hours
⩥ pH >7.0 Answer: Add buffering or acidifying adjuvant
⩥ Hardness Answer: Another characteristics of water that can affect
spray efficacy is it's hardness. The amount of dissolved minerals (I.e.,
calcium, magnesium). Hard water inactives some herbicides.
⩥ Pesticide Application Methods (Leaves): Foliar Spray Answer:
Pesticide sprayed directly on the plant leaves (Turfgrass, shrubs, trees,
etc.)
⩥ Pesticide Application Methods (Leaves): Wiper Application Answer:
Pesticide applied to selected vegetation through a rope-wick device.
PEST MANAGEMENT CATEGORY 3 OT
STUDY GUIDE 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥ Pesticides used for IPM in the landscape include: Answer: Fungicide,
growth regulators, herbicides, insecticides, miticides, mollyscicides,
repellents, and rodenticides.
⩥ Contact Pesticides Answer: Must physically touch the pest organism
or be sprayed on the site the pest frequents to get exert an action.
⩥ Protective or Preventive Fungicides Answer: Provide a protectant
barrier that prevents the fungus from entering and damaging plant
tissues.
⩥ Systemic Pesticide Answer: Enters the plant via roots or above ground
plant tissues and is moved inside the plant.
⩥ Curative Fungicide Answer: Because this chemical penetrates the
plant and stops the disease after the infection has started or after the first
symptoms are observed.
,⩥ Nonselective Pesticides Answer: Exert their action on a wide variety
of pests.
⩥ Selective Pesticides Answer: Will control only certain types or stages
of pests while leaving non-target organisms unaffected.
⩥ Pre-emergence Herbicides Answer: Are applied prior to weed seed
germination.
⩥ Post-emergence Herbicides Answer: Are applied to weeds that are
actively growing.
⩥ Insects Answer: The younger the insect stage the more susceptible it
is to chemical control.
⩥ Herbicides Answer: Are most effective when applied to actively
growing plants.
⩥ Annual Weeds Answer: Are easiest to control early in the spring
while they are still small, regardless if they are summer annuals.
,⩥ Biennials Answer: Should be treated in the fall or early spring when
in the rosette stage.
⩥ Perennial Weeds Answer: Can be controlled with herbicide
applications made in the early bloom stage or in the fall when the plant
is transporting food reserves to the underground root system.
⩥ Pesticide Resistance Answer: Is an inherited trait that results from
repeated applications of pesticides with the same site of action or mode
of action.
⩥ To delay onset of resistance you should: Answer: Rotate pesticides
with different sites or modes of action.
⩥ Municipality Answer: Includes any city or developed residential area
in Iowa.
⩥ Urban Answer: Means any area within or belonging to a city or
developed residential area.
⩥ Water pH Answer: Is one characteristic of concern. A breakdown of
the active ingredients may occur if the water is alkaline (pH>7); this is
, called alkaline hydrolysis. In contrast, under acidic conditions (pH<7),
some pesticides are broken down by acid hydrolysis.
⩥ Fixed copper or lime fungicides Answer: Should not be mixed with a
buffering agent. Otherwise, the mixture will be phytoxic to plant.
⩥ pH 3.5-6.0 Answer: Spray mixture can be stored for 12-24 hours
⩥ pH 6.1-7.0 Answer: Spray mixture should be used within 1-2 hours
⩥ pH >7.0 Answer: Add buffering or acidifying adjuvant
⩥ Hardness Answer: Another characteristics of water that can affect
spray efficacy is it's hardness. The amount of dissolved minerals (I.e.,
calcium, magnesium). Hard water inactives some herbicides.
⩥ Pesticide Application Methods (Leaves): Foliar Spray Answer:
Pesticide sprayed directly on the plant leaves (Turfgrass, shrubs, trees,
etc.)
⩥ Pesticide Application Methods (Leaves): Wiper Application Answer:
Pesticide applied to selected vegetation through a rope-wick device.
