Cornell's 2006 Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Vegetables provides valuable information and references for developing and executing an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) strategy for the successful production of vegetables. By actively making use of both Integrated Crop Management and Integrated Pest Management methods, farmers and farm managers can reduce their reliance on chemicals and take advantage of alternatives to pesticides which are often less expensive, less harmful to the environment, and more acceptable to the non-farming community.
IPM requires a combination of long and short term production strategies to maximize net profit while reducing undesirable chemical footprints0 on the environment. Among the criteria to consider in advancing an IPM approach are site selection, scouting, accurate identification, nutrient management, and cover cropping. IPM also promotes the use of a variety of control tactics in combination with or in replacement of chemicals, including pest-resistant cultivars, and biological, cultural, and physical controls. Applying multiple control tactics not only minimizes the chance that pests will adapt to any single tactic, but also allows farmers to choose the most environmentally sound, efficacious, and economically efficient pest management program for their unique situations.
IPM principles, tactics, and management options are covered in separate chapters for diseases, insects, weeds, and wildlife pests. Cultural management information is included regarding mulches, row covers, rye strip windbreaks, raised bed systems, and irrigation. Soil management is detailed in a chapter highlighting crop rotation, cover crops, manure, sewage sludges, soil testing, soil pH, and fertilizers. A transplant production section presents information on growing media, plant containers, transplanting, planting dates, and disease management. A post-harvest handling section includes accounts involving washing and chlorination, cooling, and chilling injury. Organic production is presented in a separate chapter with particulars concerning terminology, National Organic Standards, organically approved pesticides, soil fertility recommendation, and the relevance such practices have to organic growers.
More than three-quarters of this 324 page guide is devoted to detailed management information for 17 distinct vegetable groups, each with information regarding recommended varieties, planting methods, fertility, harvesting, pest management, and protectant use. Asparagus, beans Æ both dry and snap, beets, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash, watermelon, eggplant, lettuce, endive, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, spinach, sweet corn, tomatoes, turnips, and radishes are each covered in turn.
Commercial growers, those who advise, sell, or provide services to these professionals, as well as small-scale growers can use this text as a guide to choosing safe and effective weed, insect, wildlife, and disease management programs for vegetables.
The practical information contained in this annually released text is drawn directly from decades of Cornell University research, extension demonstrations, and on-site experience. Dozens of tables and diagrams, general pesticide safety information, tips for laundering pesticide-contaminated clothing, and pesticide emergency numbers round out this useful and practical text.
(2006) 324 pages. Paperback. Item Code: 142RV-06 List Price: $19.95
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