Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
that spores can't escape, while the copper sulfate and lime
serve to actually kill many infectious organisms. Spray the
plant thoroughly with this (though not until it is dripping),
and then cut it out and remove it, being as careful as possible
to avoid letting it touch any other plants.
When dealing with plant diseases, you should consider your
hands and tools to be a mode of disease transmission. When
handling known diseased plants, it makes sense to handle
only the diseased plants before hand washing and also to
immediately sterilize any tools used on the diseased plants
with bleach. A suitable sanitizing solution is one tablespoon
of bleach per quart of water.
Diseased plant materials can be thermophilically composted
with minimal or no risk as long as proper retention times are
observed. If the farmer uses mesophilic composting instead,
then diseased plant debris should be burned or placed in the
curbside trash. It is also very important not to grow the same
family of plant in the same area the next year. If a variety of
the plant that resists that disease can be found, it would be a
good idea to switch to that variety for at least a year or two, if
not permanently.
When Pest Prevention Fails
The best soil management and prevention mechanisms will
not be 100% effective against insect pests. For example,
naturally attracted beneficial insects exist in balance with pest
insects. If the beneficial insects were to eat all of the pest
species, then the beneficial insects would starve or move
somewhere else, and the pest species would experience a
resurgence in the absence of its natural enemies.
