Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.1
Relative reliance on different crop protection practices in organic and conventional
agriculture to reduce crop invasion by pests and pathogens
Examples of specifi c practices are included in Altieri 1989, Lampkin 1999, Gliessman 2001, Litterick
et al.
2004, van
Bruggen 1995.
Invasion stage/
approach
Specifi c practices
Organic
Conventional
Colonisation prevention
Sanitation
Pathogen-free seed, debris destruction,
flaming, steaming (fumigation in
conventional farming)
Common
Common
Temporal
asynchrony
Late or early planting or harvest with
respect to pathogen, vector or pest
arrivals
Common
Common
Inconducive
conditions
Crop rotation, repellent cultivars, soil
suppressiveness by organic
amendments, temperature control and
repellents in storage facilities and
greenhouses
Common
Common
Synthetic chemical
barrier
preventive foliar sprays with synthetic
insecticides, nematicides, acaricides,
anticoagulants, fumigants, fungicides or
bactericides; botanical pesticides
containing petroleum derivatives
Absent
Common
Spatial isolation
Crops sown distant from pest or
pathogen hosts, weeds, non-crop hosts
removed, barrier crops or natural strips,
physically distant from all coloniser pools
Occasional
Rare
Disrupt colonisers
Mating confusion, trap cropping, sterile
male releases, and low voltage 'soft
electrons' for insects, fences, trapping,
netting for birds and mammals, sealant,
reflective tape and startling sound for
birds and rodents
Occasional
Occasional
Population regulation
Host plant
resistance
Suboptimal plant quality (low
fertilisation), resistant cultivars, crop
spacing, plant extracts or other
repellents or hormones applied to stored
products
Common
Common
Genetically
modified resistance
Genetically modified crops with
Bacillus
thuringiensis
toxins, proteinase inhibitors,
various forms of resistance against
diseases
Absent
Common in
some countries
Intercropping
Mixed cultivars, mixed cropping, strip
cropping, green manures, incorporation
of repellent plants
Common
Occasional
Competition
Enhanced herbivore and microbial
diversity to reduce the proportional
representation of injurious taxa
Common
Rare
Insectary
vegetation or
predator resources
Flowering plants in field margins, strips,
islands, hedgerows, cover crops, bat and
owl nesting sites, bird perches to attract
and retain natural enemies in the crop
field
Common
Occasional
