The Pest Control Adviser (PCA) Certificate of Achievement prepares students to be licensed professional production consultants who serve California agriculture, natural resource and horticulture producers. PCAs specialize in pest and disease management. In addition, they are an important resource to growers in matters related to general plant health. This certificate satisfies the core-course requirements specified for Option 3.b in preparing for and qualifying to take the PCAs exam(s) with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR).

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

1. Qualify to take the PCA licensing exams from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, including Laws and Regulations, and the specific license categories of A) insect, mites, and other invertebrates B) plant pathogens C) nematodes D) vertebrate pests E) weeds F) defoliation and G) plant growth regulators.
2. Explain and apply basic principles of soils, cation exchange capacity, entomology, epidemiology, and botany to agricultural practices and pesticide modes of action.
3. Correctly identify the causal agents for pest infestations and disease infections in agricultural settings, and suggest effective control strategies that include biological control, cultural control, mechanical control and chemical control methods, in this order.
4. Read and interpret any pesticide label, and recommend legal, safe and appropriate application of that chemical.