Influence of Biopesticides and Natural Preparations on the Regulation of Diseases and Pests in the Ecological Protection of Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) and Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

Organic agriculture is increasingly present on farms in response to environmental pollution and food safety. However, organic farmers have a big production risk due to frequent plant diseases. This research was conducted to compare the influence of preparations for plant protection allowed in organic agriculture and phytopharmaceutical preparations which are used in conventional agriculture and observe their effect in regulation of pests and diseases in tomato and cucumber production in an open field. The research included the tomato variety „Oxheart“, and the cucumber variety „Long green“. The time of research was four months from planting to harvest (period: May 2020. – August 2020.) until more than 70% of vegetation was completed. The tests were performed at a location in the rural part of the town of Živinice (Tupković) in an open field with an altitude of 250 m, during the vegetation period of 2020. The tests were performed on two separate plots. The plot where phytopharmaceutical (conventional) preparations were used, was physically separated from the plot where preparations allowed in organic agriculture were used. Temperature measurement was performed using a TFA Dostmann thermometer (-25ºC to + 50ºC) and it was set at a height of 2 meters in the open field. The amount of rainfall was monitored with the TFA Dostmann rain gauge. In the tests with organic plant protection, the nettle solution and preparation with active substance Bacillus thuringiensis for pests was used, and for plant diseases, the milk+soda solution and copper-oxide were used. In the tests with conventional protection, preparations with active substances acetamiprid and imidacloprid for pests were used, and the diseases were treated with mancozeb+copper and metalaxyl-M+mancozeb. After treatments, the onset of diseases was monitored. To conclude, the conventional insecticides gave better results in the regulation of pests in comparison to organic preparations, and in the case of organic preparations, the nettle solution had a better effect. Plant protection with copper-oxide gave the same results as using conventional preparations in disease regulation. This shows that plant protection is possible in organic production, but preparations must be applied more often and in a timely manner.