• Learn To Manage Weeds Without Chemical Pesticides
  • SNAP Tour of Organic Vegetable Garden
  • Learn About Pesticides in Foods
  • Grow a Lush Garden Organically
  • Weeds Can Be Managed Without Chemical Pesticides
  • SNAP Display at Event
  • Learn to Manage Pests Naturally
  • Link to SK Organic Resources
  • Learn to Keep Insects Out of your Crops
  • Learn About Colony Collapse Disorder and How to Protect Bees

 The Bacterial Ring Rot Control Regulations ...... under The Pest Control Act Chapter P-7 Reg 4 (effective July 1, 1994) as amended by Saskatchewan Regulations 10/2002 and 90/2009. ...( for potatoes)

Clubroot of Canola  (Saskatchewan Agriculture) 'Clubroot is a soil-borne disease caused by the pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae. Clubroot affects the roots of cruciferous field crops such as canola, mustard, camelina, oilseed radish and taramira, and cruciferous vegetables such as arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, radish, rutabaga and turnip. Cruciferous weeds (such as stinkweed, shepherd's purse and wild mustard) can also serve as hosts.'

Fireblight Control in apple and pear trees video of new organic research to replace antibiotics in current use ( from the US. Products may not be available in Canada) Explains the cyce of the disease, when to spray and what new products to use. 

Mummy Berry in blueberries The disease if prevalent in blueberry farms of the NW US.

Powdery mildew (NCAP) and Rodale's Organic Life  The use of compost tea has also helped reduce occurrence.     Researchers Find Nontoxic Method Kills a Problematic Fungus When It Least Expects It    (Beyond Pesticides, March 17, 2021) Ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) applied at night can successfully kill powdery mildew in farm fields, providing a potential route to significantly reduce the use of toxic fungicides, new research published in the journal Plant Disease finds. “UV treatments applied once or twice weekly were as effective as the best available fungicides applied on similar schedules for control of strawberry powdery mildew,"

Rose Diseases    (NCAP) 

Use of RoundUp is known to increase disease occurrence in the field in following year.

 

Fusarium Wilt

view details »

Fusarium takes toll on seed.
 Jan. 11th, 2013 by Brian Cross. The Western Producer. Fusarium severely affected the SK pedigreed seed supplies in 2012.

  • In view of 2003 research establishing a link between use of RoundUp and the increase in Fusarium wilt., the first order of business would be to quit using RoundUp, Monsanto's Roundup Spreading Deadly Fusarium Fungus 
  • rebulld your soil with appropriate micro-organisms that can outcompete the pathogen,
  • better control of the pedigreed seed supplies
  • If you feel really brave, sue Monsanto for damages.

.

Late Blight of potatoes and tomatoes (upcoming)

view details »

The Late Blight Control Regulations - Publications ...... Description: under The Pest Control Act Chapter P-7 Reg 5 (effective January 30, 2002) as amended by Saskatchewan Regulations 89/2009. ..(for potatoes)

Preventing Late Blight. Organic Gardening

I grow Juliet tomato which is supposed to be resistant but they went too in the last outbreak. Some potato varieties are also resistant. Kennebec was the only variety to survive the first outbreak with little damage. It did not do as well in the second outbreak but Sieglinde did great. I found, in general, that early potatoes are a lot more susceptible. Last time, I dug up right away any plant that showed any sign and managed to save most of the crop. Ensure you bag and throw away any leaves and damaged parts like slimy potatoes, etc. One friend cut off all the potato tops when it was starting and got rid of them and managed to save his crop. 

An online comment mentioned growing using the high Brix methods and not having to spray. I have not tried that. 

Lyme Disease

view details »

New Method of Lyme Disease Prevention Promising, But Not Ready to Replace Personal Protective Measures   (Beyond Pesticides, January 14, 2020)

'...incorporating Lyme vaccines into pelletized mouse food had the effect of reducing levels of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, in both mice and ticks in a certain location.

“So, the idea here is to vaccinate the mice,” study author Kirby Stafford, PhD told WBUR. “What we’ve done is incorporate a Lyme disease vaccine in an oral bait that would immunize them. That would prevent ticks feeding on those animals from becoming infected and then ultimately turn around and infect you.”'

Potato scab prevention

view details »

Potato scab, caused by the bacteria Streptomyces scabies, infects tubers, roots, stems and rhizomes. Damage to the skin of young potatoes is the most serious economical consequence. Three types of symptoms occur: 1) russet scab with superficial, corky lesions; 2) raised scab with erupting lesions; and 3) deep-pitted scab with sunken dark brown lesions. Scab tends to be more severe in fields newly planted to potatoes and in fields with high undecomposed organic matter content. Scab is spread by infected tubers and contaminated soil and manure. It can persist for up to 10 yeas in soils. 

There are also several types of potato scab and there are apparently no chemical pesticide to deal with the problem.

The first line of defense is hygiene:

  • Don’t plant any scabby seed potatoes. Use certified seed tubers free from common scab.
  • Don’t compost scabby potatoes if you are using your compost in the vegetable garden.
  • Rotate your potatoes i./e. don’t always plant them in the same spot. Rotations out of potatoes for 3 or more years may be beneficial on some infested sites or rotation with green manure crops such as rye, millet, and oats; whereas, rotations with carrots, beets, spinach, turnip, and radish are not advisable. (University of California - Davis IPM site)  Rotation with barley also increased scab  while soybean cover crop and green manure incorporation prevented 
  • Plant resistant varieties to the scab present in your patch. i.e. The cultivars AtlanticNorchipNorlandShurchipSuperior are considered resistant to common scab. I found scab to be more prevalent on late potatoes in my patch, with Kennebec the most susceptible, Russet varieties show less tuber damage from powdery scab than smooth, red- and white-skinned varieties; russet-skinned varieties rarely show tuber symptoms although root galls are common. Susceptibility varies among red and white varieties. 
  • Do not apply lime or wood ashes to your potato patch.
  • Avoid soil application of animal wastes, which favors scab development
  • Golden Harvest Organics also suggested wilted comfrey leaves, pine or spruce needles around when you plant your potatoes. (May 23/08) Pine and spruce leaves would also help acidifying the soil a bit. 

Growing conditions: Maintaining high soil moisture (80–90% of available water storage) during tuber initiation and the 6 to 8 weeks that follow reduces the severity of scab and usually controls the disease adequately. Then keep your soil acid with a pH of 5 or below to prevent scab. Most scabs are better controled in more acid soils. Infection is favored by warm dry soils

Golden Harvest Organics has a chart of natural products to use for various diseases including Apple Cider Vinegar Fungicide (with recipe) apparently useful for scab. I think this is likely more for apple scab because the of the quantities potentially needed to treat a large amount of soil. However, it would have the benefit of acidifying the soil, whick may be helpful. Mak sure you know your soil pH before using. 

It did not take me long to find that information on the Internet when I searched 'potato scab natural solutions'. University and/or IPM (Integrated Pest Management ) sites are good resources.

Paule Hjertaas  (June 2008, reviewed in 2012)

 

 

Powdery Mildew in Strawberries

view details »

  • Ultraviolet Light Researched as a Pest Control Technique   (Beyond Pesticides, December 14, 2022) Ultraviolet (UV-C) light has the potential to successfully manage mite (Tetranychus urticae) populations without reducing yields or resorting to toxic pesticides, according to research published by scientists at University of Florida. The results of the study line up with prior research conducted by the same University of Florida team regarding the use of UV-C radiation for powdery mildew control on strawberry plants. “UV treatments applied once or twice weekly were as effective as the best available fungicides applied on similar schedules for control of strawberry powdery mildew,” study author Natalia Peres, PhD said at the time. “It’s not a one-time fluke.”