Integrated pest management of disease and arthropod pests of greenhouse vegetable crops in Ontario: Current status and future possibilities

Abstract

Disease and arthropod pests are a continual problem for greenhouse vegetable production. These problems range from minor infestations to major disease or arthropod pest outbreaks that can destroy an entire crop. In Ontario, in the past, the major management strategy was pesticide control. However, many plant pathogen, insect and mite pests are resistant to registered pesticides and few new pesticides are being developed. Alternative control strategies exist or are being developed for most major pests. This review describes the current status of pesticide, cultural and biological control of disease and arthropod pests of greenhouse vegetables in Ontario and discusses the future possibilities for the integration of pest management practices utilizing plant resistance, nutrition, environment and biological control agents into an expert system approach. Key words: Vegetable (greenhouse) crops, integrated pest management