Which of the following are examples of cultural controls for insect pests?

Cultural controls are practices aimed at managing pests by changing the environment, crop, or cultural practices rather than relying solely on chemical methods. The correct choice describes several effective cultural control techniques:

• Selecting resistant varieties helps ensure that the plants can withstand or repel specific pests, which reduces pest populations naturally.
• Timing planting can help avoid peak pest populations, as many pests are dependent on specific growth stages of plants or environmental conditions.

• Altering plant locations involves changing the layout or spacing of plants, which can disrupt pest life cycles and reduce infestations.

These strategies are proactive and environmentally friendly, aiming to create conditions that are less favorable for pests to thrive.

The other options focus on more reactive or traditional pest control methods, such as applying pesticides, which does not align with the principles of cultural controls. Utilizing traps specifically targets existing pest populations rather than preventing their establishment, and implementing monoculture practices can actually make plants more vulnerable to pests by reducing biodiversity, which is contrary to the intent of cultural controls.