FFS farmers learn about disease management.
Although fungicides and bactericides are generally less toxic than insecticides, we have to try to reduce their use as much as possible. In IPM, other methods to manage diseases should be explored first:
Disease management can be done by:
- Crop rotation
- Sanitation
- Antagonists
- Trichoderma
- Healthy plants
- Good seed, strong seedlings, seed treatment
- Fertilizer management
- Water management
- Varieties
- Resistance
- Tolerance
- Manage the micro climate
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Pruning
- Thinning
- Mulching
- Fungicides / bactericides
- Only to be used as a last option
- Select the least toxic product available
- Never use class Ia or Ib chemicals
- Don’t use chemicals that are known to cause cancer, or to disrupt the endocrine system
