Toward Sustainable Potato Production: Experience with Alternative Methods of Pest and Disease Control on a Commercial Potato Farm

Environmentally sustainable potato production requires reduced dependence on pesticides. Consumers are increasingly lobbying for the protection of the environment, and underscoring these requests by changing their purchasing patterns. Farmers are responding with reduced and more efficient use of pesticides by means of more environmentally friendly chemicals, superior application equipment, scouting, training, and increased communications. On our farm, we have focused on sustainable potato production for both conventional and certified organic with a multi-pronged approach. The most significant improvements include weekly scouting of all fields to determine economic thresholds before spraying and the reliance on weekly newsletters, which inform us of the status of pests and diseases in the province and allow us to prepare. We also use neonicotinoid chemistry as a seed tuber treatment, which has greatly reduced the need to spray insecticide, especially for Colorado Potato Beetle control. We focus on soil health through the use of manure (beef and swine), which has led to better crop health and further reduces the need for pest and disease control and saves us input costs. Finally, we have a potato-variety development program to select clones with resistance to Ontario’s pests and diseases. The selection program focuses on late blight, early dying and scab resistance, as well as on research into varieties that resist insects through selecting for glandular trichomes.