Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Section 5
INTEGRATED DISEASE MANAGEMENT
254
Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Organic Vegetable Production
A
plant disease is defined as any physiological disturbance brought about by a pathogen or
environmental factor that prevents normal development of a plant resulting to changes in
its appearance and reduction of its economic value. Plant diseases are caused either by
infectious or biotic factors, or non-infectious or abiotic factors. Plant diseases that are caused by
infectious or biotic factors usually occur when: (a) pathogen is highly virulent, in high inoculums
density, or not in equilibrium with antagonists; (b) environment is relatively more favorable to
pathogen than to host plant and/or antagonists; and (c) host plant is genetically homogenous, highly
susceptible, and continuously or extensively grown.
Plant disease management in organic vegetable production consists mainly of integrating various
mechanical or physical (e.g., heat treatment, flooding, rouging of diseased plants or pruning
of infected plant parts), cultural (e.g., crop rotation, trellising) as well as biological (e.g., use of
microbial antagonists, use of resistant varieties, bio-fumigation) control methods 169 . Thus, this
section includes exercises dealing on these control methods. In addition to exercises crafted by
IPM facilitators and specialists during the Write-shop to Develop A Field Guide of Discovery-based
Exercises for FFS of IPM on Organic Vegetable Farming conducted in 17-19 June 2008, this section
adapted a number of applicable exercises from Field Guide of Discovery Exercises for Vegetable
IPM (Volume II) 170 .
169 Bayot, R.G. 2008. Diseases Management in Organic Vegetable Production. Power Point Presentation during the Workshop On Designing Farmer Field
School Curriculum on Integrated Pest Management for Organic vegetable Production held at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural
Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), Department of Science and Technology, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines on 28-30 April 2008. Slides
1-31.
170 Callo, Jr., D.P., L.B. Teofilo, and H.A. Tauli (eds). 2002. Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Vegetable IPM, Volume II. SEAMEO Regional
Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. 366p.