eOrganic authors:
Chunxue Cao, The Ohio State University - OARDC
Gary Vallad, University of Florida - IFAS
Meg McGrath, Cornell University
Brian McSpadden Gardener, The Ohio State University - OARDC
This article summarizes publicly available data on efficacy of commercially available, EPA-registered biochemical biopesticides for plant disease control. For a more detailed introduction see the related eOrganic article Biopesticides for Plant Disease Management in Organic Farming. At the time of writing, these products were allowed for use on organic farms. However, products and their status for use on organic farms change, so before using any of these products, be sure to (1) read the label to assure that the product is labeled for the crop you intend to apply it to and the disease you intend to control, (2) read and understand the safety precautions and application restrictions, and (3) make sure that the brand name product is listed in your Organic System Plan , approved by your certifier AND registered for legal use in your state. For more information on how to determine whether a disease management product can be used on your farm, see the eOrganic article Can I Use this Product for Disease Management on my Organic Farm?
The efficacy ratings presented here are based on the results of one-year field studies published between 2000 and 2009 in the Plant Disease Management Reports (PDMR) (http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/). The ratings are based on a comparison between untreated controls and the application of each product independently. These studies were not, in general, conducted on organic farms or on organically-managed land.
Efficacy ratings are scaled as follows:
- (+) – evidence for disease control and/or yield increase
- (±) – evidence for disease control is mixed with some reports showing positive results and others not
- (0) – no obvious response to treatment in one or more published reports
- (n.d.) – no data available in the selected PDMR publications
| Trade Name | Ingredient | Manufacturer | Target Crop | Target Disease | Efficacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic Barrier® | Garlic Oil | Garlic Research Labs, Inc | Cucurbit crops, forage crops, fruiting vegetables, herbs, kiwi, leafy vegetables, legume vegetables, nut trees, ornamentals,peanuts, pome fruit trees, root and tuber vegetables, small friuts and berries, stone fruit trees,sugarcane, sunflowers, tropical fruits, turfgrass | Brown spot, insect infestation | Tomato/ early blight (0) |
| Green Light® Neem Concentrate | Neem Oil | Green Light Company | Vegetables, fruits, nuts and spices | Powdery mildew, rust, anthracnose, leaf spot and other diseases | Crapemyrtle /cercospora leaf spot (0) dogwood/powdery mildew (+) dogwood/spot anthracnose (0) dogwood/cercospora leaf spot (±) |
| Trilogy® | Neem Oil | Certis USA | Citrus, tree fruits, cucurbits, bulb, cole and leafy vegetables, legume and fruiting vegetables, root and tuber vegetables, small fruits and berries , herbs and spices, cereal and grains, nuts, corn , alfalfa, cotton | Alternaria, anthracnose, early blight, leaf blight, botrytis, greasy spot, leaf spot, post bloom fruit drop, powdery mildew, molds, scabs, rusts, shothole | Tomato/early blight (0) bean, snap/white mold, gray mold (±) grape/ powdery mildew (0) pumpkin/ powdery mildew ( ±) almond/ brown rot (+) almond/ scab ( 0) sweet cherry/ powdery mildew (±) |
| Triact® 70EC | Neem Oil | Certis USA | Citrus, tree fruits, cucurbits, bulb, cole and leafy vegetables, legume and fruiting vegetables, root and tuber vegetables, small fruits and berries , herbs and spices, cereal and grains, nuts, corn , alfalfa, cotton | Alternaria, anthracnose, early blight, leaf blight, botrytis, greasy spot, leaf spot, post bloom fruit drop, powdery mildew, molds, scabs, rusts, shothole | Poinsettia/powdery mildew (+) |
| Actino Iron® | Iron | Actino Iron® | Food and fiber crops, ornamentals, landscape plants, tree seedlings for transplanting to the forest | Soil borne plant root rot and damping-off disease | Snapdragon/root rot (+) |
| ECO E-RASE® | Jojoba Oil | IJO Products, LLC | Garden and commercial vegetables and crops | Powdery Mildew and whitefly | Pumpkin/ powdery mildew (±) |
| SeaCide® | Cottonseed oil | Omega Protein, Inc | Field crops, orchards, vineyards, and greenhouse | Black spot, powdery mildew and greasy spot | Tomato/late blight, bacterial spot (0) tomato/early blight (+) summer squash/powdery mildew (±) |
| Heads Up® Plant Protectant | Extract of Chenopodium quinoa saponins | Heads Up Plant Protectants | Soybeans, potato, tomato, peas, beans, and wheat | Soil borne plant root rot and damping-off disease | Peas/ root rot (+) tomato/ early blight (+) |
| Promax™ | Thyme Oil | Bio Huma Nectics, Inc | Crops, ornamental plants, and turf | Fungal disease | Pumpkin/ phytophthora blight (±) squash/ phytophthora blight (±) |
| Proud 3™ | Thyme Oil | Bio Huma Netics, Inc | Crops, ornamental plants, and turf | Fungal disease | Turnip greens/bacterial leaf spot (0) pumpkin/phytophthora blight (±) squash/phytophthora blight (±) |
| Organic JMS Stylet-Oil® | Paraffinic Oil | JMS Flower Farms, Inc | Grape, tree fruit, grass seed, and vegetable crops | Powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot | Pumpkin/powdery mildew (+) tomato/powdery mildew septoria leaf spot ( 0) strawberry/leaf spot (0) phomopsis/leaf blight (0) black burrant/white pine blister rust (+) |
| PureSpray™ Green | Petroleum Oil | Petro-Canada | Apples and pears, almonds, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pistachio, plums, prunes, avocados, citrus, grapes, olives, tropical fruit, ornamental fruits, vegetable crops | Powdery mildew | Grape/powdery mildew (0) |
| Saf-T-Side® | Petroleum Oil | Brandt Consolidated | Apples and pears, almonds, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pistachio, plums, prunes, avocados, citrus, grapes, olives, tropical fruit, ornamental fruits, vegetable crops | Powdery mildew, black spot, and rust | Cucumber/downy mildew (±) apple/powdery mildew (±) almond/brown rot (+) almond/scab (+) |
References and Citations
- Plant Management Network International. Plant disease management reports [Online]. American Phytopathological Society. Available at: http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/trial/pdmr/ (verified 20 Aug 2010).
