Biodesign Farm Disease Management Tables

eOrganic authors:

Helen Atthowe, Biodesign Farm

Alex Stone, Oregon State University

This article is part of the Biodesign Farm Organic System Description

Table 1. Disease Management System
Table 2. Old Field Rotation
Table 3. New Field Rotation
Table 4. Disease Specific Strategies

Table 1. Disease Management System

Strategies and tools	Implementation details
I. System design
Optimize landscape and field design	Fields were designed with aspect and airflow in mind.
Plant resistant/resilient germplasm	When possible, varieties were selected for disease resistance.
Design for spatial/temporal rotation	The 3-year crop rotation was based on family (Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae)
II. Soil building for disease suppression
Optimize quantity and quality of soil organic matter (SOM)	Organic residues varied in carbon content and ease of decomposition. SOM increased from an average of 3.5 to 5.7% in Old field and from 3.3 to 5.2% in New Field.
Reduce tillage	Minimum tillage was practiced in the spring in Old field and only in crop rows in New field.
Balance cations	Biodesign's target was 65–70% Ca, 15–20% Mg, and 3–5% K. In Old field, ending ratios were: 70% Ca, 18.7% Mg, and 5.7% K. In New field, they were 77.1% Ca, 17.8% Mg, and 5.1% K.
Match nitrogen supply with crop need	Some organic residues had higher carbon:nitrogen ratio and thus supplied nitrogen slowly.
III. Cultural strategies
Irrigate to minimize foliar/fruit wetting	Drip irrigation was managed to avoid foliar and fruit wetting in Old field. Both drip and sprinkler irrigation were used in New field.
Manage groundcover	The between-row living mulch was mowed selectively to maximize airflow and reduce disease risk.
Maximize airflow	Mowed living mulch row middles; planted crops on raised beds; staked tomatoes and peppers.
Reduce rain/irrigation water splashing	Black plastic mulch on tomato, pepper, and eggplant crops to reduce splashing of pathogen spores with rain/irrigation water.
IV. Supplemental inputs
Apply materials for disease management	Disease pressure was never very great (likely due to a dry climate), so no pesticides were applied for disease management. In the early 1990s, compost tea (made with Biodesign's sheep and/or cattle manure compost) was applied to tomato foliage in the spring (one to three applications) in an effort to manage bacterial speck (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato). A Solo backpack sprayer was used to apply approximately 3 gal/300-foot row. This practice was abandoned by the late 1990s as it did not seem to be effective.
V. Diagnosis, monitoring, recordkeeping, and decision making
Scout crops/monitor for diseases	Scouting for diseases occurred weekly or twice per month.
Keep records	Harvest evaluations included disease incidence/severity.
Use monitoring data to inform management decisions	Bacterial speck (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato) was a problem in the 1990s, but monitoring records/history helped Biodesign modify the system to minimize disease risk.

Table 2. Old Field Rotation: Crops and Amendments by Row 1994-2005¹

Row	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
	Cattle manure compost 12 tons/acre	Cattle manure compost 10 tons/acre	Cattle manure compost 7 tons/acre	Cattle manure compost 5 tons/acre	Sheep and cattle manure compost 5 tons/acre	Sheep manure compost 2-4 tons/acre	Sheep manure compost 2 tons/acre	Sheep manure compost 2 tons/acre	Sheep manure compost 2 tons/acre	No compost	No compost	No compost
	White clover LM	White clover + snail medic LM	White clover + snail medic LM	White clover + snail medic LM	White clover + snail medic LM	White clover + parabinga medic LM	Alsike clover LM	Alsike clover + annual ryegrass LM	Alsike clover + annual ryegrass LM	Red clover LM	Alsike clover LM	Red clover + yellow sweet clover LM
1	Buckwheat	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper
2	Buckwheat	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper
3	Buckwheat	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper
4	Buckwheat	Lettuce	Tomato	Bean/ Cucumber	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover	Eggplant	Red clover
5	Buckwheat	Flowers	Tomato	Lettuce	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover	Tomato	Red clover
6	Buckwheat	Flowers	Tomato	Lettuce	Eggplant	Flowers	Tomato	Pea/Bean	Tomato	Brussels sprouts	Tomato	Red clover
7	Buckwheat	Flowers	Eggplant	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Eggplant	Lettuce	Tomato	Brussels sprouts	Tomato	Red clover
8	Buckwheat	Flowers	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Cabbage	Pepper	Red clover
9	Buckwheat	Broccoli	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover
10	Buckwheat	Broccoli	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Brussels sprouts
11	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Eggplant	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Eggplant	Tomato	Red clover	Squash	Brussels sprouts
12	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Pepper	Tomato	Eggplant	Pepper	Tomato	Broccoli	Red clover	Lettuce	Tomato
13	Tomato	Broccoli	Broccoli	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Red clover	Alsike clover	Tomato
14	Tomato	Eggplant	Broccoli	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Red clover	Alsike clover	Tomato
15	Tomato	Tomato	Broccoli	Pepper	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Red clover	Alsike clover	Tomato
16	Tomato	Tomato	Broccoli	Flowers	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Red clover	Alsike clover	Broccoli
17	Tomato	Tomato	Broccoli	Flowers	Broccoli	Tomato	Broccoli	Tomato	Eggplant	Squash	Alsike clover	Broccoli
18	Tomato	Tomato	Lettuce	Tomato	Broccoli	Tomato	Lettuce	Pepper	Pea/Bean	Pepper	Alsike clover	Broccoli
19	White clover	Tomato	Lettuce	Tomato	Bean/ Potato	Pepper	Lettuce	Pepper	Carrot/ Lettuce	Pepper	Alsike clover	Broccoli
20	White clover	Tomato	Lettuce	Tomato	Squash	Pepper	Lettuce	Pepper	Flowers	Pepper	Cabbage	Eggplant
21	White clover	Pepper	Lettuce	Tomato	Lettuce	Pepper	Lettuce	Pepper	Alsike lover	Pepper	Brussels sprouts	Mixed vegetables
22	White clover	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Lettuce	Pepper	Flowers	Pepper	Alsike clover	Eggplant	Brussels sprouts	Yellow sweet clover
23	White clover	Pepper	Flowers	Tomato	Lettuce	Pepper	Flowers	Alsike clover	Alsike clover	Tomato	Alsike clover	Yellow sweet clover
24	White clover	Pepper	White clover	Tomato	Lettuce	White clover	Alsike clover	Alsike clover	Alsike clover	Tomato	Alsike clover	Yellow sweet clover
25	White clover	Pepper	White clover	Buckwheat	White clover	White clover	Alsike clover	Alsike clover	Alsike clover	Tomato	Alsike clover	Yellow sweet clover

¹LM=Living Mulch

Table 3. New Field Rotation: Crops and Amendments by Row 1993-2010¹

Row	1993-2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
	No amendments	No amendments	Sheep manure compost (4 tons/acre); concentrated application in crop rows.	Sheep manure compost (2 tons/acre); concentrated application in crop rows. + gypsum in crop row (100 lb/4-ft x 600-ft row)	No compost. Alfalfa meal in crop row (50 lb/4-ft x 600-ft row)	No compost. Alfalfa meal in crop row (50 lb/4-ft x 600-ft row)	No compost. Alfalfa meal in crop row (50 lb/4-ft x 600-ft row)
	No amendments	Red clover LM	Red clover LM	Red clover LM	Red clover LM	Red clover LM	Red clover LM
1	Pasture	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper	Greens	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Pepper
2	Pasture	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper	Squash	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Pepper
3	Pasture	Red clover	Cabbage	Pepper	Cucumber	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Pepper
4	Pasture	Red clover	Brussels sprout	Tomato	Mixed brassicas	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Tomato
5	Pasture	Red clover	Brussels sprout	Tomato	Mixed brassicas	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Tomato
6	Pasture	Red clover	Tomato	Squash	Late greens	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Squash
7	Pasture	Red clover	Tomato	Broccoli	Bean	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Brussels sprout
8	Pasture	Red clover	Tomato	Broccoli	Carrot	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Brussels sprout
9	Pasture	Red clover	Pepper	Cabbage	Greens	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Broccoli
10	Pasture	Red clover	Pepper	Onion/Mixed greens	Bean	Red clover/ Smooth brome	Cabbage
11	Pasture	Pasture	Pepper	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture
12	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture
13	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture
14	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture	Pasture
15	Pasture	Red clover	Onion	Brussels sprout	Tomato	Potato/Broccoli	Onion/Mixed greens
16	Pasture	Red clover	Mixed greens	Brussels sprout	Tomato	Brussels sprout	Squash
17	Pasture	Red clover	Squash	Potato	Tomato	Brussels sprout	Red clover/ Smooth brome
18	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Pepper	Broccoli	Red clover/ Smooth brome
19	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Pepper	Mixed vegetables	Red clover/ Smooth brome
20	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover/ Smooth brome
21	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Cabbage	Pepper	Red clover/ Smooth brome
22	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Broccoli	Pepper	Red clover/ Smooth brome
23	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Brussels sprout	Tomato	Red clover/ Smooth brome
24	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Brussels sprout	Tomato	Red clover/ Smooth brome
25	Pasture	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Red clover	Eggplant/Tomato	Red clover/ Smooth brome

¹LM=Living Mulch

Table 4. Disease Specific Strategies

Disease	Disease Trends¹	Practices²	Pesticides
Tomato bacterial speck (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato) Crop: tomato	DOWN	Practice 3-year crop rotation by crop family (Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae). Raised beds and staked tomatoes/peppers to maximize airflow and black plastic mulch under tomatoes/peppers to decrease rain/irrigation splashing of spores onto fruit and foliage.	None Compost tea made with Biodesign's sheep and/or cattle manure compost was applied to foliage in the early 1990s. This practice was abandoned in the late 1990s as it did not seem effective.
Cucumber mosaic virus (Bromoviridae:Cucumovirus) Crop: pepper	DOWN	Mow the between-row living mulch to maximize airflow and reduce leaf wetness. Add higher carbon/lower nitrogen soil amendments to build high-organic-matter soils with a diverse and healthy soil microbial community. Use drip irrigation and management to avoid foliar and fruit wetting. Manage system to suppress aphids (as they are the vector for CMV).	None

Disease

Disease Trends¹

Practices²

Pesticides

Tomato bacterial speck (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato)

Crop: tomato

DOWN

Practice 3-year crop rotation by crop family (Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae).

Raised beds and staked tomatoes/peppers to maximize airflow and black plastic mulch under tomatoes/peppers to decrease rain/irrigation splashing of spores onto fruit and foliage.

None
Compost tea made with Biodesign's sheep and/or cattle manure compost was applied to foliage in the early 1990s. This practice was abandoned in the late 1990s as it did not seem effective.

Cucumber mosaic virus (Bromoviridae:Cucumovirus)

Crop: pepper

DOWN

Mow the between-row living mulch to maximize airflow and reduce leaf wetness.

Add higher carbon/lower nitrogen soil amendments to build high-organic-matter soils with a diverse and healthy soil microbial community.

Use drip irrigation and management to avoid foliar and fruit wetting.

Manage system to suppress aphids (as they are the vector for CMV).

None

¹Supporting data is from farmer communication and crop monitoring records.
²See Table 1.

This article is part of the Biodesign Farm Organic Systems Description.

Table of Contents:

Published September 21, 2016

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