Title: Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management
Description: Written for organic farmers and farmers in transition to organic production, extension professionals, and farm advisors who want accurate information based on published research. Authors: Brian Caldwell, Emily Brown Rosen, Dr. Eric Sideman, Dr. Anthony M
Abstract:
The Guide is divided into three sections. The first section provides cultural information and management practices for a number of important vegetable crop groups. For each family, key pests and disease problems are described. Cultural methods and management practices that will help control the problem are listed, as well as materials that may be recommended for use.
The second section is a set of generic fact sheets about specific materials that can be used in organic systems. The fact sheets provide background information about the type of material, how it is made, how it works, and the types of pests it will control. They also provide application guidelines for use, and a description of the effects it has on the environment and human health. Efficacy is described in a summary account and by means of a graph based on data from trials reported in Arthropod Management Tests (Entomology Society of America), Fungicide and Nematicide Tests (American Phytopathological Society) and other sources. This rating groups the materials in three categories of effectiveness: good, fair, and poor control. Replicated field trials on crops grown in the northeast are included. Results of studies in which a material was used in combination or alternating with another could not be classified and are not included, even though in practice such a strategy may be effective. A complete bibliography of all efficacy data is available by contacting Brian Caldwell at bac11@cornell.edu.
The last section contains appendices with useful information about additional practices such as plant resistance, trap cropping, habitats for beneficial insects, the concepts of induced or systemic acquired resistance, materials exempt from pesticide regulation, and additional resources.