Insecticides for nightshade vegetables

[redback]

Environmental conditions refers to humidity, light, and temperature. If they are conducive to infection, there will be disease. If the temperature and humidity are favorable to mildew infection and there are mildew spores around, you will have a mildew problem.

As usual you are partially right. Warnings go out to vineyards when certain weather conditions occur.
What you don't know is how powerful the new regime of polyculture can be. Your supposedly infallible knowledge is based on vast monocultures of vines with conforming weed and soil treatment.
Times are changing - soil treatments like permanent cover crops, interplanting with multiple species including "weeds" are beyond the scope of the book written years ago.
The regime of monocultures with massive amounts of 'inputs' is a widespread disaster - alarmingly like the 'dustbowl' of earlier history. We have to change and that means going back to pre-1970 practices. Admittedly some chemical usages of that era may return.
Why 1970s? Because prior to that date auto-immune diseases were scarce.
PS - (Just in case - auto-immune diseases have no external cause like virus or bacterial infection. They are due to the malfunction of the digestive gut system. This is thanks to low levels of nutrition in our food.)

 

[cpp gardener]

Tell it to the millions of dead and displaced Irish who dealt with Late Blight of Potato in 1782 and 1783. Didn’t have chemical controls, didn’t have depleted soil, did have susceptible potatoes, did have proper environmental conditions, did have fungal spores, DID HAVE LATE BLIGHT OF POTATO. No amount of organic amendments or polyculture practices could have saved them or prevented the devastation to their crops.

Susceptible species+Conducive environmental conditions+Fungal inoculum
= Disease and crop failure.

 

[redback]

Susceptible species+Conducive environmental conditions+Fungal inoculum
= Disease and crop failure.

Quite right. They didn't have crop rotation or certified seed potatoes either.
Both USA and Australia have had blighted potato crops since then. It takes a long while for science to find a solution.
Science is no longer on the side of killing nature. If you look up 'plant microbiome' you will find that for the last ten years science has distinctly become the world of entomology - of saving the soil life and where possible, of triggering 'induced systemic resistance'. Increase biology on the planet and get rid of pesticides.
So, you're the dreamer if you think science is on your side. Last year I did have a patch that grew wild and had resistance to all pests and disease. Carrots, broccoli, corn, beet crops all perfect and I only used my own compost. This year extreme drought and heat has ruined my crops, but I will be trying again this autumn - when the rain comes. Oops - that might favor your argument about conditions. We are all gardeners.

 

[redback]

No amount of organic amendments or polyculture practices could have saved them or prevented the devastation to their crops.

I dislike survey results because they have a strong tendency towards conformity with expected norms. There is a strong suspicion that the poor Irish farmers were suffering from a total lack of variety in their food. They were weak, suppressed, depressed, underfed and victimized. The condition of the soil is unknown although they had been farming the same variety of potatoes there for two hundred years. Yes, two hundred years without any Late Blight.
So we have another triangle of necessary conditions. They could be collectively bundled under environmental causes but hey - monoculture is a big problem and the probable main factor in all this.

• Cause of Late Blight politically skewed toward desired outcome
• The condition of the farmers themselves
• Unacceptable farming practices resulting in compromised soil.
  

 

[redback]

Sorry for hijacking the topic @CrazyConure. Don't worry about stockpiling pesticides. Spend your money on organic compost. Stockpile organic liquid fertilizer such as - seaweed, fish emulsion, molasses and a heavy mulching of lucerne straw. Interplant your main crops with sunflowers, basil, parsley and beans.

 

[redback]

I have just read that the Irish did use crop rotation. I still cannot see how the crops were disease free for 200 years. Apparently, they copied the South American method of raised beds in a 'lazy bed' system ?

 

[cpp gardener]

And still they had Late Blight! Imagine that!

 

[redback]

Potatoes with 200 year immunity. Who says we need chemicals.

 

[CrazyConure]

I believe it’s a mix between both arguments:

1) It’s a great idea to keep plants and soil as healthy as possible; Stronger plants are more resistant to diseases.

2) Like humans, sometimes diseases, parasites, and viral infections can affect them no matter how healthy they are.

I already stocked up on sprays that will help me as needed: Copper fungicide, BT, and insecticidal soap.