Homeopathic and high dilution preparations for pest management to tomato crop under organic production system.
MODOLON TA; BOFF P; BOFF MIC; MIQUELLUTI DJ 2012
ABSTRACT
Tomato crops (Solanum lycopersicum) under conventional production system are constantly treated against pest and diseases, with organic synthetic pesticides that are used may cause serious disturbance to environment and human health. This research was carried out in order to study the effect of homeopathic and high dilution preparations on pests and diseases management of tomato crop under organic production system. Two experiments were conducted under field conditions and one in greenhouse. All of them in randomized block design with the cultivar Santa Cruz Kada. The treatments consisted of homeopathic preparations Staphysagria, Arsenicum album, Sulphur, Arnica montana, high dilution preparations of Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum aculeatissimum, at the decimal (DH) or centesimal (CH) scale of hahnemanian high dilution. Bordeaux mixture, cupric preparation, and Bacillus thuringiensis were also included in weight doses. The preparation Arnica montana 12DH increased the tomato yield under field conditions. The damage incidence of small borer was efficiently reduced with applications of Sulphur 12CH that equalling to B. thuringiensis. The same treatment did not reduce the large borers. B. thuringiensis reduced also the septoria leaf spot incidence in the field. In greenhouse, the high dilution preparation of tomato at 12DH completely suppressed the septoria leaf spot and drastically reduced the same disease at 24DH. The homeopathic and high dilution preparations have the potential to be effective on replacing pesticides that are used on tomato, and could be suitable to fill legal requirement for organic production system.
Keywords: Solanum lycopersicum, agro-homeopathy, crop protection.