Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
cous membranes], the Agency is requiring stringent precautionary labeling.
Exposure and attendant risks are expected to be negligible for applicators
when they follow the directions for use by wearing the appropriate personal
protective equipment.
Ammonium nonanoate is expected to degrade rapidly, primarily via mi-
crobial action, with a half-life of perhaps less than one day. Although am-
monium nonanoate is slightly toxic to both warm water and cold water fish
species and highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, the agency believes that
ammonium nonanoate, when used as directed, will not persist in the envir-
onment. If ammonium nonanoate is used according to the directions on the
label, it should not seriously impact aquatic invertebrates because it is not
applied directly to water and it undergoes very rapid microbial degradation
in the soil.
Application rates of herbicidal soaps used for organic production are
high. One product recommends using 26 fluid ounces of their product per
1,000 square feet of area covered. The same amount of glyphosate herbicide,
which is very popular in conventional horticulture, would cover an area
nearly 24 times as large and kill both annual and many perennial weeds.
While herbicidal soaps may have a place in organic orchards, they appear
to be best suited for spot treatments of young perennial and annual seed-
lings. They are not effective in controlling established perennial weeds.
Biological Management of Vegetation
Chickens and weeder geese are used to control weeds in gardens and orch-
ards. You will need to use pens to confine the birds to the areas that you
want weeded. Young geese are more effective at weeding than older geese,
and some people prefer Chinese strains over other breeds.
Unfortunately, organic certification standards greatly limit the use of
livestock in orchards. The U.S. National Organic Program requires that live-
stock, including birds, be removed from a tree fruit orchard 90 days before
harvest. For bush fruits, the livestock must be removed at least 120 days
before harvest. For most organic orchards in North America, these rules ef-
