Crop Diseases and Mangement

CROP MANAGEMENT
&CROP DISEASES
CROP MANAGEMENT
• Successful crop production requires that crop pests and diseases be managed so that their effects on the plants are
minimized. The management of crop diseases is directed at preventing the establishment of diseases and minimizing
the development and spread of any diseases that become established in the crop. Managing pest problems is directed
at preventing pest populations from becoming too large and uncontrollable (Portree 1996). The presence of pests and
diseases are a fact of crop production and growers must use all available options and strategies to avoid serious pest
and disease problems.
• Integrated pest management (IPM) is a term used to describe an evolving process where cultural, biological, and
chemical controls are included in a holistic approach of pest and disease control. Key components of effective pest
and disease control programs include:
• sanitation,
• crop monitoring,
• cultural control,
• resistant cultivars,
• biological control and chemical control
CROP MONITORING
• Crop monitoring is the continually on-going surveillance to detect the presence

of a pest or disease at the very early stages of development of the disease or
pest population, before economic damage has occurred. Everyone involved in
working the crop should be made aware of the common pest and disease
problems and what to look for to detect the presence of problems in the crop. In
addition this general surveillance of the crop, dedicated monitoring of the crop
should be included in the weekly work schedule.
CULTURAL CONTROL
• Cultural control involves providing the conditions that favour the growth,
development and health of the crop, and where ever possible, providing conditions
that work against pest and disease. Many disease causing fungi and bacteria require
the presence of free water or condensation on the plants in order to cause disease.
High relative humidity promotes the development of disease, and maintaining the
environment below 85% relative humidity will help to escape or avoid disease
problems. Ensuring proper ventilation and air movement within the crop canopy, as
well as maintaining optimum plant spacing and a relatively open canopy, will
ensure good air circulation and minimize the establishment of micro-climates that
favour disease development. Proper contouring of the greenhouse floor will avoid
the pooling of water which contributes to localized high relative humidity.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
• Biological control uses beneficial organisms, primarily predators and parasites, to control pest
populations below economically important levels. The goal is to establish a balance between the pest
population and its parasites and predators to keep the pest population under control. The complete
eradication of the pest population is not the goal of biological control programs, as some pest
organisms are required so the parasites and predators can reproduce.
• Effective biological control of diseases is a more difficult goal and to-date, has rarely been achieved.
However, research in developing biological controls for greenhouse crop diseases is ongoing and it is
likely that biological control products for greenhouse diseases will be available in Canada in the near
future. The primary strategy of biological control for greenhouse plant diseases is to introduce fungal
parasites to control populations of disease causing fungi in the greenhouse environment so that they
are unable, or have a reduced ability to infect the plants. Some of the promising biological control
agents, for example, fungi in the Genus Trichoderma are strong competitors of the disease causing
fungi such as Botrytis cinerea, and can be used to protect wound sites to prevent Botrytis from
colonizing the wounds.
CHEMICAL CONTROL
• Pesticides are valuable tools when used as a component of an integrated pest management
program. Insecticides should be applied only in support of biological control programs,
dealing with localized pest outbreaks in the crop that have escaped the biological control
agents. When insecticides are used, care must be taken to ensure that they are compatible with
biological control agents, that there will be minimal long term adverse residual effects on
biological control programs. Fungicides are used only when a disease problem is detected.
• Pesticides are regarded as the controls of last resort because their misuses creates high-profile
environmental and food safety problems. Also, the application of some pesticides to a crop
can cause stresses that reduce the productive life of the crop and can make the plants
susceptible to other pests and diseases. If the use of biological control agents is to obtain a
balance between pests and predators that does not threaten the productive yield of the crop,
the indiscriminate use of pesticides creates imbalance and uncertainty in the crop.
ALTERNARIA BLACK SPOT
• Distinct target spot lesions on the older leaves during wet, cold weather in July
and early August. If the weather continues wet and cold the pod and stem
spotting builds-up rapidly.
• Management strategy
In cold wet seasons rapid build-up of this disease occurs on both Polish and
Argentine canola. Foliar fungicide for the control of sclerotinia will give
moderate to good control of the black spot fungus. In dry years or in a
succession of dry seasons this disease is virtually nonexistent on the canola
crop. Disease build-up occurs in a succession of wet seasons.
SEPTORIA TRITICI BLOTCH OF WHEAT
• Septoria tritici blotch is a common disease of wheat, often occurring alongside other
foliar diseases. It is also known as Septoria leaf spot and is caused by Zymoseptoria
tritici. Elliptical, tan-brown lesions that often have yellowish halos first appear on
seedling leaves. Lesion centers die and dark fruiting bodies are produced, giving the
lesion a characteristic speckled appearance. Subsequent lesions on higher leaves
generally follow leaf veins, having straight edges and no yellow margins. When
humid, a translucent, curling thread of whitish ooze may appear from fruiting
bodies. This ooze is visible with a hand lens, and disperses when contacted by rain
or dew. Symptoms can be observed from tillering stages through ripening. Septoria
tritici blotch lesions generally do not have pronounced chlorotic halos like
Stagonospora leaf and glume blotch and tan spot, and lesions are more elongated
with rougher edges.
FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT
• Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as scab or tombstone, is a serious

fungal disease of wheat (including durum), barley, oats and other small cereal
grains and corn. FHB affects kernel development, reducing yield and grade.
However, the crops most affected are wheat, barley and corn.
ASTER YELLOWS
• A common disease in carrot production, it causes losses from trace levels to

10% or more in the unharvested crop. Affected carrots have yellowing leaves
and the carrot tap root produces masses of fibrous side roots making it
unmarketable. This disease is spread by leaf hoppers that move into the
province every year. Aster Yellows affects canola, onions, parsnips and faba
beans as well as flowers, forage and field crops.
DISEASES IN TOMATO
• Blossom end rot is the most common physiological disorder of greenhouse tomato.
The disorder is due to a calcium deficiency in the fruit and can occur even when there
are acceptable calcium levels in the fertilizer feed solution.
• Calcium is an immobile nutrient and once the calcium has been placed at a specific
site within the plant the calcium cannot be redirected to another site that may be
lacking.
• Blotchy ripening:
Uneven colouration of the ripening fruit is symptomatic of this disorder. Blotchy ripening
is primarily considered to be a physiological disorder but can also be a result of virus
infection. A number of conditions can bring about blotchy ripening of the fruit including:
inadequate fertilizer levels, high fruit temperatures, and infection by tomato mosaic virus.

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CROP MANAGEMENT

• Crop monitoring is the continually on-going surveillance to detect the presence

• Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as scab or tombstone, is a serious

• A common disease in carrot production, it causes losses from trace levels to

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