DTM*3300 Turf Insects and Weeds

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The following description is for the course offering in Fall 2022 and is subject to change. It is provided for information only. The course outline distributed to the class at the beginning of the semester describes the course content and delivery, and defines the methods and criteria to be used in establishing the final grades for the course.
 

This course discusses the biology, ecology and management of turfgrass insects and weeds, emphasizing cultural methods of management as well as chemical and biological controls. Field recognition and diagnosis of weeds and insect pests are taught and the impact of control methods on the environment and the ecology of turfgrass systems are discussed.

Prerequisite(s): DTM*1100

Restrictions: Restricted to Associate Diploma students in the Turfgrass Management program.

Instructors:

Francois Tardif

Teaching Assistant:

Marinda Gras mgras@uoguelph.ca

Credit Weight:

0.50

Course Level:

  • Diploma

Academic Department (or campus):

Department of Plant Agriculture

Campus:

Guelph

Semester Offering:

  • Fall

Class Schedule and Location:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for class schedule and location.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Define the\ principal methods of management for insects and weeds of turf as demonstrated through successful completion of quizzes and exams.
  2. Determine and conceptually explain the conditions for the successful management of both insects and weeds in turfgrass systems through the use of integrated methods; demonstrated through successful completion of exams.
  3. Differentiate alternative and conventional management of insect and weed pests in their effects on the environment and the turfgrass ecosystems; as demonstrated by successful completion of quizzes, assignments and exams.
  4. Identify and categorize the most important insect pests and weeds found in turfgrass systems, primarily in Ontario; demonstrated by successful completion of lab assignments and quizzes.
  5. Recognize the effects of the main herbicides used for turf weed control as demonstrated by successful completion of lab assignments.

Lecture Content:

Topics to be covered in lectures include:

  • Insect Pests
    • Insect Biology and classification
    • Insects as pests
    • Root-feeding pests
    • Stem-feeding pests
    • Insect management, with and without pesticides
    • Bio-control and cultural control (Intro to IPM concepts)
    • Pesticide modes of action
    • Insects of trees and shrubs (if time permits)
  • Weeds
    • Weed biology and classification
    • Weeds as pests
    • Weed competition
    • Weed management
    • Herbicide modes of action
    • Weed control without herbicides
    • Weed control and the Pesticide Ban

All lectures will be taught F2F.

 

Labs & Seminars:

Topics to be covered in labs include:

  • Insect Pests
    • Monitoring and insect orders
    • Root-feeding pests
    • Insects infesting stems, leaves and sap
    • Insects of trees and shrubs
  • Weeds
    • Annual dicot weeds
    • Perennial dicot weeds
    • Grass weeds
    • Herbicide mode of action

Laboratory classes will be a combination of lecture material and practical observation of specimens.  

All labs will be taught F2F.

 

Course Assignments and Tests:

Assignment or Test
Contribution to Final Mark

Weekly Insects Quizzes

20%

Insects Final Exam

20%

Insects Lab Practical

10%

Weeds Lab Assignments

20%

Weeds Lab Quiz

 10%

Weeds Midterm Exam

 20%
DropBox Submissions

Assignments should be submitted electronically via the online DropBox tool. When submitting your assignments using the Dropbox tool, do not leave the page until your assignment has successfully uploaded. To verify that your submission was complete, you can view the submission history immediately after the upload to see which files uploaded successfully. The system will also email you a receipt. Save this email receipt as proof of submission.

Be sure to keep a back-up copy of all of your assignments in the event that they are lost in transition. In order to avoid any last-minute computer problems, your instructor strongly recommend you save your assignments to a cloud-based file storage (e.g., OneDrive), or send to your email account, so that should something happen to your computer, the assignment could still be submitted on time or re-submitted.

It is your responsibility to submit your assignments on time as specified on the Schedule. Be sure to check the technical requirements and make sure you have the proper computer, that you have a supported browser, and that you have reliable Internet access. Remember that technical difficulty is not an excuse not to turn in your assignment on time. Don’t wait until the last minute as you may get behind in your work.

If, for some reason, you have a technical difficulty when submitting your assignment electronically, please contact your instructor or CourseLink Support.

 

Final examination:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for examination schedule and location.

Course Resources:

Recommended Resources

Vittum, P. et al. (eds.)  1999.  Turfgrass Insects of the United States and Canada.  Cornell Univ. Press. (Textbook)

Potter, D.A.  1998.  Destructive Turfgrass Insects: Biology, Diagnosis and Control, J. Wiley & Sons. (Textbook)

Other Resources:

Other reading materials and links to pertinent web sites will be posted on the CourseLink site for the course.

All quizzes and exams will either be in person or be available through CourseLink and will be times. Format of the quizzes will be announced weekly.

All lecture and lab sessions will be taught F2F.

CourseLink

This course is being offered using CourseLink (powered by D2L's Brightspace), the University of Guelph's online learning management system (LMS). By using this service, you agree to comply with the University of Guelph's Access and Privacy Guidelines. Please visit the D2L website to review the Brightspace privacy statement and Brightspace Learning Environment web accessibility standards.

http://www.uoguelph.ca/web/privacy/ https://www.d2l.com/legal/privacy/

https://www.d2l.com/accessibility/standards/

CourseLink System Requirements

You are responsible for ensuring that your computer system meets the necessary system requirements. Use the browser check tool to ensure your browser settings are compatible and up to date. (Results will be displayed in a new browser window).

https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/systemCheck

Technical Support

If you need any assistance with the software tools or the CourseLink website, contact CourseLink Support.

Email: courselink@uoguelph.ca
Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56939 Toll-Free (CAN/USA): 1-866-275-1478
Support Hours (Eastern Time): Monday thru Friday: 8:30 am–8:30 pm; Saturday: 10:00 am–4:00 pm; Sunday: 12:00 pm–6:00 pm

Technical Skills

As part of your learning experience, you are expected to use a variety of technologies for assignments, lectures, teamwork, and meetings. In order to be successful in this course you will need to have the following technical skills:

  • Manage files and folders on your computer (e.g., save, name, copy, backup, rename, delete, and check properties);
  • Install software, security, and virus protection;
  • Use office applications (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or similar) to create documents;
  • Be comfortable uploading and downloading saved files;
  • Communicate using email (e.g., create, receive, reply, print, send, download, and open attachments);
  • Navigate the CourseLink learning environment and use the essential tools, such as Dropbox, Quizzes, Discussions, and Grades (the instructions for this are given in your course);
  • Access, navigate, and search the Internet using a web browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Explorer); and
  • Perform online research using various search engines (e.g., Google) and library databases.

 Contact your course instructor if you need support with any of the above.

Course Policies:

Late Assignments

Answers to all take home assignments are due at the beginning of class on the dates specified. A penalty of 10% per day will be deducted for late assignments. Requests for extensions due to illness or other personal issues must be made in writing and accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. Exceptions will be made where academic consideration has been granted.

Rescheduled exams

The midterm and the final exam must be written on the date scheduled unless there is a documented timetabling conflict. Please advise the instructor in writing of any scheduling conflict prior to Week 3 for the Weeds Midterm and prior to Week 7 for the Insects final exam.

Re-evaluation:

Students have 5 class-days upon receiving assignments to appeal to the instructor. The entire assignment will be re-evaluated for accuracy of grading.

Course Policy on Group Work

Students are expected to produce individual reports or assignments even when they worked in groups unless specifically stated by the instructor. 

Course Policy regarding use of electronic devices and recording of lectures:

Electronic recording of classes is expressly forbidden without consent of the instructor.  When recordings are permitted they are solely for the use of the authorized student and may not be reproduced, or transmitted to others, without the express written consent of the instructor.

Netiquette Expectations

The course website is considered the classroom and the same protections, expectations, guidelines, and regulations used in face-to-face settings apply. Inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Examples of inappropriate online behaviour include:

  • Posting inflammatory messages about your instructor or fellow students;
  • Using offensive language;
  • Copying or presenting someone else's work as your own;
  • Adapting information from the Internet without using proper citations or references;
  • Buying or selling term papers or assignments;
  • Posting or selling course materials to course notes websites;
  • Having someone else complete your quiz or completing a quiz for/with another student;
  • Stating false claims about lost quiz answers or other assignment submissions;
  • Threatening or harassing a student or instructor;
  • Discriminating against fellow students, instructors, and/or TAs;
  • Using the course website to promote profit-driven products or services;
  • Attempting to compromise the security or functionality of the learning management system; and
  • Sharing your username and password.

Other Course Information:

Communicating with Your Instructors

During the course, your instructor will interact with you on various course matters on the course website using the following ways of communication:

  • Announcements: The instructor will use Announcements on the Course Home page to provide you with course reminders and updates. Please check this section frequently for course updates from your instructor.
  • Ask Your Instructor Discussion: Use this discussion forum to ask questions of your instructor about content or course-related issued with which you are unfamiliar. If you encounter difficulties, the instructor is here to help you. Please post general course-related questions to the discussion forum so that all students have an opportunity to review the response. To access this discussion forum, select Discussions from the Tools dropdown menu.
  • Emails: If you have a conflict that prevents you from completing course requirements, or have a question concerning a personal matter, you can send your instructor a private message by email. The instructor will attempt to respond to your email within 24 hours.
  • Video Call: If you have a complex question you would like to discuss with your instructor, you may book a video meeting on Teams (or alternate platform being used by your instructor). Video meetings depend on the availability and are booked on a first come fist served basis.

University Policies

Academic Consideration

When you find yourself unable to meet an in-course requirement because of illness or compassionate reasons, please advise the course instructor in writing, with your name, id#, and e-mail contact. See the academic calendar for information on regulations and procedures for Academic Consideration:

Academic Misconduct

The University of Guelph is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and it is the responsibility of all members of the University community, faculty, staff, and students  to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible to prevent academic offences from occurring.

University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that discourages misconduct. Students need to remain aware that instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection. Please note: Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of guilt. Hurried or careless submission of assignments does not excuse students from responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or faculty advisor.

The Academic Misconduct Policy is detailed in the University Calenders:

Accessibility

The University of Guelph is committed to creating a barrier-free environment. Providing services for students is a shared responsibility among students, faculty and administrators. This relationship is based on respect of individual rights, the dignity of the individual and the University community's shared commitment to an open and supportive learning environment. Students requiring service or accommodation, whether due to an identified, ongoing disability or a short-term disability should contact the Student Accessibility Services (SAS), formerly Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD), as soon as possible.

For more information, contact CSD at 519-824-4120 ext. 56208 or email sas@uoguelph.ca or visit the Student Accessibility Services website: http://www.uoguelph.ca/csd/.

Course Evaluation Information

Your ratings and comments are important.  Course evaluation data are used to assess and enhance the quality of teaching and student learning at the University of Guelph.  Student course ratings and comments are used as an important component in the Faculty Tenure & Promotion process, and as valuable feedback to help instructors improve their teaching effectiveness and to improve the delivery of the course.

Your responses will not affect your grade.  Course evaluation data are distributed to individual instructors after final grades have been submitted to the Registrar, following the completion of each academic semester.

Please be honest, respectful, constructive and thorough.  Instructors and review committees place great value on student course ratings and read all comments provided in course evaluations. It is helpful to provide comments on the strengths of the course, in addition to the areas for improvement.  Please refrain from personal comments unless they relate to teaching and learning.

Click here for the University of Guelph Course Evaluation System