In pest management, which statement about coverage is incorrect for systemic pesticides?

Systemic pesticides work by being absorbed into the plant's system, affecting not only the targeted pest but also potentially protecting the plant from various pests and diseases. Therefore, the effectiveness of systemic pesticides is not primarily reliant on external coverage of the plant surface, unlike contact pesticides.

The assertion that coverage is not important is valid because once systemic pesticides are absorbed, their efficacy does not depend on physical coverage of the plant surfaces. They circulate within the plant, reaching areas that may be inaccessible to pesticides that require direct contact with pests.

In contrast, the necessity of coverage becomes more critical for contact pesticides, which must be evenly distributed over surfaces to ensure that pests come into contact with the chemical. This fundamental difference in mode of action elucidates why the statement about coverage being unnecessary for systemic pesticides is correct in this context.