Discover integrated weed management (IWM) strategies for organic vegetable farming, combining various methods to effectively suppress weeds while minimizing costs and preserving soil health.

When selecting an insecticide or fungicide it is important to understand how they work and their relative efficacy on target pests. . This resource presents an initial "efficacy" table derived from 100s of studies evaluating organic insecticides for common caterpillar pests of cabbage.

Organic production relies on natural or "ecosystem services" more than conventional production. Biological control of pests, pollination of crops, and accelerated breakdown of crop residues are examples of services provided by beneficial insects and other invertebrates. Learn how flowering mixes are an excellent way to ensure habitat for the "good guys" of the insect world.

Nitrogen (N) management in organic production is challenging because microorganisms must mineralize organic N into plant available forms. This factsheet presents findings on how temperature, fertilizer source, and soil health affect organic fertilizer N mineralization rates.

Downy mildew is a serious disease for brassica crops including arugula. Host plant resistance is the most promising approach for management. This factsheet provides an overview of lab and field screening for resistance.

Dairy manure, mixed plant waste, olive pomace/dairy manure, and grape pomace composts were evaluated for their potential to suppress Verticillium load in a bell pepper field trial. This factsheet discusses the results of these trials.

Downy mildew is a serious disease of lettuce. We evaluated both organic and non-organic fungicides on an experimental field at the Cal Poly campus in Fall of 2023. The USDA organic compliant fungicides tested included: ProBlad Verde, Cinnerate, Serenade ASO, and Howler EVO.

Cover crops and reduced tillage are key to healthy soils, but organic vegetable production often relies on tillage for weed control and soil drainage. This factsheet evaluates an approach developed by Braga Fresh that incorporates grass cover crops in vegetable beds and clover in furrows, reducing tractor passes by up to 75% while maintaining soil roots and minimizing bare ground.

Downy mildew is a major threat for Brassica crops like broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, and kale. This research uses morphological analysis and genetic sequencing to identify specific strains and understand their interactions with Brassica hosts.

Emerging methods to assess soil health lack region- and crop-specificity. There is also a shortage of extended field studies to establish soil health ratings and guidelines. The objective of this project was to develop a framework for evaluating soil health using vineyards as a case study, based on assessing grower vineyards with established soil health practices.

There are many factors that can influence the amount of nitrogen mineralized and the timing of nutrient management. The Grimm Family Center seeks to investigate these interactive factors through a range of research projects on nitrogen mineralization.

Check out the latest tables on organic pesticide efficacy for Brassica crops and leafy greens.