Plant Diseases and Their Management in Organic Agriculture
Managing diseases in organic cropping systems is a major challenge to growers in every country who must meet rigorous restrictions. And depending on the crop and climatic region, organic production methods can vary greatly.
Plant Diseases and Their Management in Organic Agriculture is the first comprehensive book that fully addresses the systems approach to organic plant disease management and is a must for any researcher, student, or practitioner involved in organics research, organics production, or regulation. And it is truly an international collaboration with contributing scientists from North America, the West Indies, Europe, and Africa.
The editors have assembled an expert team of authors who:
• Define many terms of the organic arena, as well as trends, regulations, and the many practices in organic agriculture throughout the world.
• Offer an overview of organic production methods, principles, and the various farming systems that affect microbial habitat conditions and, in turn, pathogen fitness and plant resistance. Systems and methods cover rotations, irrigation, resistance breeding, diversification strategies, and more.
• Explain the role of diseases in organic systems and how they are affected by the system itself, particularly in terms of bacterial and fungal pathogens (air- and soilborne), nematodes and viruses.
• Cover the general approaches and methods used for plant disease management in organic agriculture, including rotations, irrigation, resistance breeding, diversification strategies, seed health, direct control of airborne and soil borne pathogens, and chain management.
• Present nine case studies to illustrate the many management methods available in real-world agricultural settings. These case studies feature cropping systems for potatoes, small grains cereals, rice, leguminous crops, vegetables, apples, grapes, bananas and coffee.
Plant Diseases and Their Management in Organic Agriculture offers valuable, detailed information that helps users truly understand various organic farming systems and their effects on plant diseases, nutrients, soil fertility management, habitat management, and diversification strategies. Equally detailed color photographs of plant disease symptoms helps users visually identify a range of diseases that affect their crops, making this book a useful diagnostic aid, as well.
Plant Diseases and Their Management in Organic Agriculture is written by researchers and practitioners of organic plant protection who are bringing together decades of hands-on research and farming experience. It is a much needed addition to the textbooks on ecological agriculture and agroecology used by students, researchers and extension staff as well as for interested farmers, consultants, and other practitioners involved in organic agriculture.
It is not only of value for organic farming but will also be an inspiration for innovative research into other agricultural systems based on ecological methods.
