MODULE 5

PEST MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIC VEGETABLES

LESSON 1. PEST MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIC VEGETABLES

INTRODUCTION:
➢ One of the major problems in vegetable production is the vulnerability in all growth stages of
the crop to a wide array of highly destructive insect pests.
➢ Inability to manage these insects may result in tremendous yield reduction and low quality
of harvest.
➢ Since many of the vegetables are early maturing, damage is generally irreversible and
control may no longer be profitable.
➢ Moreover, damage can be inflicted in a very short time and control might be too late if not
properly monitored.
➢ If timely monitoring is done, the next pressing problem is to decide what management
strategies to implement.
➢ The implementation of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an alternative management
strategy in controlling insect pest wherein the use of synthetic insecticide is the last resort
especially when pest population density reaches high density.
➢ However, in organic vegetable production resorting to synthetic pesticide application is never
considered as this is prohibited in the PNS-OA.
➢ IPM is a system that utilizes all possible and suitable techniques and methods in a
compatible manner and maintains pest population below damaging levels.
➢ IPM is also the intelligent manipulation of pest populations using a combination of techniques
(cultural practices, legal control, physical, and other techniques) in consideration of natural
regulatory factors to reduce economic damage and avoid unwanted effects.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Understand the different non-pesticide management strategies that could be employed to
regulate insect pest population in organically grown vegetable crops
2. Integrate all possible control methods to lower insect pest populations below damaging levels.

LESSON PROPER:
In organic agriculture, crops are produced, harvested, distributed, stored, and packaged
without any application of synthetic pesticides and growth regulators. To the maximum extent,
feasible organic farming system relies upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures,
legumes, green manure, off-farm organic wastes, mechanical cultivation, mineral-bearing rocks,
and aspects of biological control to maintain soil productivity, supply plant nutrients, and control
insects, weeds and other pests (USDA 1980).

Pest Management Strategies in Organically Grown Vegetable Crops:

1. Cultural Control
❖ This is any farm operation that makes the environment unfavorable for the development
and multiplication of insect pests but favors crop production.

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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator
 ❖ Cultural control seldom gives satisfactory pest population reduction but when integrated
with other control tactics, it provides adequate defense against most insect pests.

a. Synchronous planting
▪ Insect control can be achieved by manipulating the time of planting.
▪ The most susceptible stage of the plant should not coincide with pest population peak.

b. Sanitation
▪ The removal of all breeding sites and food sources such as alternate host plants between
cropping.
▪ Cutting of plants close to the ground and feeding them to animals or burying them in the
soil.
▪ Removal of weed species that serve as alternate host of harmful insects will regulate
pest population.
▪ Removal and destruction of infested fruits by burning or burying them in the soil

c. Intercropping/multiple cropping
▪ Intercropping of corn with mungbean can reduce corn borer population.
▪ The nectar from mungbean flowers provides food and refuge for a great variety of natural
enemies and other beneficial insects.

d. Crop rotation
▪ Rotating tomato with other crops that are non-hosts of tomato insect pests (examples:
ampalaya, squash, crucifers, etc.) helps break their life cycles.

e. Selective weeding
▪ Weed species such as spiny amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus) serves as refuge of flower
bug,
▪ Amaranthus can be planted/maintained at the borders in order to have a continuous
source of predators.

f. Mulching
▪ The use of plastic or organic mulch not only helps in conserving soil moisture and in
reducing weed population but also help reduce population of thrips and other insect
pests.

2. Biological Control
❖ Living organisms are used to suppress pest population.
❖ Biological control practice should remain for IPM because it is compatible with other
control methods, safe, and economical.

a. Parasitoid
▪ Feeds internally (endoparasitoid) or externally (ectoparasitoid) on other insect’s body
▪ Usually smaller than the host
▪ Requires single host to complete its life cycle
▪ Always kills the host
▪ Attacks the eggs or larvae
Examples:
Trichogramma parasitoids for eggs of lepidopterous insect pests
Cotesia plutellae against 2nd instar larvae of DBM.

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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator
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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator
 b. Predator
▪ Are those insects and spiders that kill many insects for their food
▪ Usually larger than its prey
▪ Requires several preys to complete their life cycle
Examples:
Earwigs - feed on eggs, young larvae and pupae of lepidoptera, coleoptera, diptera and
other soft-bodied insects.
Flower bug-this predator feeds on eggs and early instar larvae of lepidoptera andthrips.
Coccinellid beetles - feed on eggs and small larvae of lepidoptera.

• Hunting spiders, web making spiders, mili bug, water striders, lady beetle, crickets, Long-
horned Grasshoppers, dragonflies

Parasitic worms in human and also in insects

c. Pathogens – An organism which cause a disease

1. Fungus
▪ Beauveria is effective against adults and nymphs of leafhoppers and whiteflies.

2. Bacteria
▪ Bacillus thuringiensis is generally effective against larvae of lepidopterous insects
such as the diamond-back moth, tomato fruit worm, and common cutworm.

3. Virus
▪ The nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) is effective against the common cutworm while
the Helicoverpa nuclear polyhedrosis virus (HNPV) is effective against the tomato
fruit worm.

d. Parasite - An organism living in or another living organism and deriving its nutrients
partly or wholly from it. Egg and larval parasites.

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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator
Examples of Beneficial Insect Parasites

1. Tachinid Flies

The adults lay their eggs on beetles, caterpillars, and bugs near their heads.

When these eggs hatch, the maggots begin tunneling into the host. They will feed internally for at
least seven days or more, and the larvae will eventually kill the pest.

Tachinid flies kill common pests like caterpillars, corn borers, grasshoppers, gypsy moth caterpillars,
squash bugs, Japanese beetles, green stink bugs, and Mexican bean beetles.

2. Braconid Wasps

• Braconid wasps have a narrow waist like a typical wasp, and they can be of various colors from
brown to red to yellow or black.
• They usually have a dark blotch at the tip of their forewing. Their antennae are short, and you’ll
notice that the abdomen is generally longer than their thorax and head combined.
• The braconid wasps hover around caterpillars and aphid colonies. They will lay eggs on caterpillar
and tomato hornworms, forming a white cocoon. Eventually, they will reproduce and continue to
kill garden pests by sucking the life from the hosts.

3. Trichogramma Wasps

The Trichogramma wasps lay their eggs in the eggs of more than 200 garden pests like caterpillars
and moths. They’re very little; about four or five can sit atop the top of a pin. When they lay their eggs
inside of moth eggs, it keeps the moth from turning into a caterpillar.

Other garden pests that they typically combat are the cabbageworm, tomato pinworms, tomato
hornworms, codling moth, corn borers, and many other insects that can destroy your yard.

3. Mechanical Control
a. Yellow trap
▪ Aphids and leaf miner are attracted to yellow color.

b. Light trap
▪ The semi-UV light can attract the adults of insect pests. If adults are trapped after
emergence, then they will not be able to lay eggs.

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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator
 c. Trap crop
▪ Trap crop is planted around the main crop or one row of trap crop may be planted for
every few rows of the main crop.
▪ Trap crop is more preferred by the pest than the main crop and planted ahead of the
main crop.
Examples:
‘kadyos’ - attracts tomato fruit worm
Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) - attracts the diamond back moth and other insect
pests
d. Planting of herbs/repellent
▪ Insects generally use their sense of smell to locate their hosts but they are
disoriented in the presence of herbs/repellent resulting in lower pest population.

e. Bagging of fruits
▪ To prevent the fruit flies from laying eggs in the fruits of ampalaya and other cucurbits.
▪ Bagging of fruits with plastic bags or newspaper should be done before the fruit fly
starts egg laying.
▪ If plastic bags are used, the bottom part should be open or should have perforations
to prevent rotting of fruits.

4. Other Potential Control Measures

a. Botanical insecticides
❖ Plants could be endless sources of ecologically sound and safer compounds that can
act against pests but spare predators, parasites and other non-target organisms.

❖ More than 2,000 plant species have been reported or claimed to possess insecticidal
activity (Grainge and Ahmed 1988).

Examples:
✓ 'Luyang dilaw' (Curcuma longa L.) rhizomes
✓ 'Tubli'( Derris elliptica Rosch) roots.
✓ 'Makabuhay' (Tinospora rumphii) vines
✓ 'Lagundi’ (Vitex negundo L.) leaves
✓ 'Kakawate' (Gliricidia sepium Jacq.)
.
b. Use of sex pheromone
❖ Female insect secretes sex pheromones to attract males, if males are trapped
fertilization will be greatly reduced resulting to low crop damage•

c. Use of Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN)

d. Use of Natural Attractants for Flying Insects (NAFI) - coconut vinegar and crude
sugar)

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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator
 ASSIGNMENT/ACTIVITY:

1. Identify at least 5 Common Insect Pest of Vegetables with corresponding scientific name,
Description, Damage to the Plant and Management Strategies. Provide Actual Pictures of
Insect Pest and Plant damage. Do not take from the internet. Submit in a long bond paper
following this format:

Name: _______________________ Year and Section: ________________________

AGRI 7 - Introduction to Organic Agriculture

Insect Pests of Vegetables

Name of Insect Pest:

Scientific Name:
Picture:
Description/Characteristics of the Insect Pest:
Damage Symptoms:
Control Measures:

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Topics in AGRI 7 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE-BSA 1ABC/DAT 1A
2nd Semester , AY 2022-2023
Mrs. Cecilia S. Bastian – Course Facilitator