EM-Fermented Plant Extract and EM5 for Controlling Pickleworm (Diaphania nitidalis) in Organic Cucumbers
Matthew T. Wood,[1] Randy Miles[2] and Panfilo Tabora[3]
Effective Microorganisms and Pest Control
Cucumbers are susceptible to many kinds of microbial pathogens and insects. In conventional farming systems, pesticides are used to combat them (McCollum and Ware, 1968). However, these pesticides contaminate our ecosystems and food products. Because of the polluting side effects of pesticides and consumers’ dissatisfaction with them, the organic agriculture industry is growing. Conventional pesticides are not used in organic cultivation, therefore alternative forms of integrated pest management must be developed.
Tests conducted in many different countries have given evidence that the wide range of beneficial microorganisms contained in the mixture known as Effective Microorganisms (EM) can lower the incidence of these problems (Qin-long et al, 1994). The beneficial microorganisms contained in EM produce plant hormones, beneficial bioactive substances and antioxidants, while solubilising nutrients (Phillips, 1995). The metabolic by-products of these beneficial microorganisms catalyze an energy shift within the ecosystem, which creates a healthier environment for the plant. A healthier environment in turn makes the plant healthier, more resistant to pathogenic disease and less “attractive” to damaging insects, while raising yields and lengthening the life of the plants. The high populations of beneficial microorganisms that occur in the system over time also competitively exclude pathogenic microorganisms and nematodes. Certain microorganisms that can be found in healthy agricultural systems and in EM are known to create esters, which deter insects. Therefore it is possible that by understanding the role of EM, crops may be cultivated without pesticides while achieving yields that are equal to or higher than those achieved with conventional methods (Akiba et al, 1993).
The system described above, which has a high diversity and is very conducive to vigorous plant growth, can be found in any undisturbed virgin forest ecosystem. It also can be found in agricultural systems where the biological components of the soil have been adequately nourished and have not been overloaded with actively oxidising substances like pesticides and other agrichemicals. For systems that have been damaged by erosion, compaction, or depletion of organic matter or minerals, the diversity and health of the system must be regenerated to cultivate crops organically with low incidence of disease and insect damage and with high yields (Peirce, 1987). This process of regeneration can be catalysed and accelerated using inoculates of beneficial microorganisms applied with organic matter. EM contains a high diversity of beneficial microorganisms, including the antioxidising and purification microorganisms known as photosynthetic bacteria. These microorganisms lead the way in the regeneration and diversification of the ecosystem. The microbial ecology of EM is balanced so that the species it contains can work in co-operation to increase soil biological activity and diversity in a way that supports vigorous, healthy plant growth (Lou, 1994).
From February to May 1997, field trials of organic cucumber cultivation were carried out at the Integrated Farm of EARTH College in Costa Rica. The goal was to determine how foliar applications of EM-Fermented Plant Extract (EM-FPE) and EM5 (see Appendix for details on these materials) affect the incidence of insect damage and ultimately the yield of cucumbers. [top]
Materials and Methods
Cucumber plants were organically grown in a randomized complete block design of 12 blocks, 15 plants per block. Each block was a raised bed 460 cm long, 120 cm wide, and 20 cm high, with paths 60 cm wide between beds. Each bed received 21 kg of traditional compost and 3 kg of EM banana bokashi (organic wastes anaerobically fermented with EM) 14 days before seeding. All blocks received the same kind and amount of irrigation.
There were three different types of foliar treatments, with four replications of each. The following treatments were applied in the same volume every four days:
- Foliar Treatment 1: Well water.
- Foliar Treatment 2: EM-FPE diluted with well water (1 part EM-FPE to 500 parts well water), alternating with well water.
- Foliar Treatment 3: EM-FPE diluted with well water (1 part EM-FPE to 500 parts well water) alternating with EM5 diluted with well water (1 part EM-FPE to 500 parts well water). [top]
Results
After direct seeding and the emergence of the young plants, there was a noticeable difference in growth rate between the control plants (well water only) and those receiving EM-FPE or EM-FPE + EM5. The plants receiving only water grew more slowly and never got as large as the others. Those receiving either EM-FPE or EM-FPE + EM5 began developing flowers an average of 6 days before those that received only water.
The plants from Treatment 2 and Treatment 3 were very healthy, without any sign of leaf blight or other pathogen diseases common to the humid tropic region until approximately the last 16 days of harvest. On the other hand, those receiving just water were healthy until about 22 days before the end of harvest, when they began to develop leaf blight and their vigour began to decline.
Statistically, Treatment 1 yielded significantly lower than the other two. Treatment 2 was intermediate in yield, with Treatment 3 the highest. The difference between Treatments 2 and 3 is not statistically significant (Table 1).
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Table 1. Effect of applications on organic cucumber yields.
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Treatment
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Average yield (g/m2)
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Average number harvested (m-2)
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Average weight (g)
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Water
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3,296aa
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14.8a
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223.3a
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EM-FPE + Water
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4,417b
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18.8b
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235.6b
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EM-FPE + EM5
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4,860b
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20.9b
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232.8b
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The moth (Diaphania nitidalis) that causes pickleworm infection began coming shortly after the plants began to flower. The most infections occurred in Treatment 1, with the second highest number in Treatment 2. When the cucumbers infected by the pickleworm were separated, very significant differences in yields could be seen (Table 2): 80% of the fruit from Treatment 1 were infected by the pickleworm, compared with only 36% in Treatment 2 and 9% in Treatment 3.
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Table 2. Effect of application on pickle worm infection and yields of Organic cucumbers.
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Treatment
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Yield infected by pickle worm (%)
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Average yield not infected by pickle worm (g/m2)
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Water
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80aa
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629a
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EM-FPE + Water
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36b
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2800b
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EM-FPE + EM5
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9c
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4415c
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