Biological pest and disease control in greenhouse vegetable production
PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INTEGRATED AND ORGANIC HORTICULTURE(2008)
Abstract
Biological pest and disease control (BPDC) involves different control strategies such as biological, mechanical, physical and chemical to reduce diseases or pest insects to a level where economic damage does not occur and public health is protected. However, more BPDC practices need be tried in the greenhouse, where the ecological space is small, as suggested by van Lenteren and Woets (1988) and Pautitz and Belanger (2001). In this study, BPDC was tried in greenhouse vegetable production. Organic materials, such as crop residues, hay, leaves and twigs were placed along both sides in the polyethylene greenhouse. Spiders and Carabidae thrived in the organic materials. A brassica leafy vegetable was grown and then tomato was intercropped with the brassica. Microbial fermentation with herbs was sprayed on the tomato plants. The spiders controlled the insects on leafy brassica effectively. The Carabidae controlled aphids on tomato plants and decreased the risk of fungus and virus infections. In the relay intercropping system, the leafy vegetables absorbed the excess mineralized nitrogen when the young tomato seedlings did not need as much nitrogen nutrition. Therefore, the tomato crop did not receive excess nitrogen and the tomato plants were less infected by leaf blight and yielded more fruit, especially at the later growth stages. A farm preparation with an herb, Zanthoxylum, fermented with a microbial inoculant (EM, effective microorganisms) controlled aphids on brassica effectively, and in the same way, Ginkgo and neem controlled whiteflies effectively on tomato. In conclusion, it is possible to use multiple biological practices to control diseases and pests in a greenhouse to an acceptable level of damage. The key points are: 1) To create a bio-diversity for enough predators to suppress pest insects; 2) To grow a healthy crop by limiting the nitrate supply; and 3) To use integrated management including plant materials as an auxiliary control practice.
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Key words
biological pest control,greenhouse,botanical pesticide,natural enemy
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