Bio-Dynamic Methods for Controlling Plant Pests and Diseases

Harnessing Bio-Dynamic Methods for Healthier Crops

At My Farmhouse Kitchens and The MFK-Gardens Urban Farmer Learning Centre, we believe that nature provides the best solutions for sustainable farming.  Our approach to plant pest and disease management is rooted in bio-dynamic principles--working with, rather than against, the natural rhythms of the earth.

By aligning planting with lunar cycles, nurturing soil health, fostering biodiversity, and strengthening plant immunity, we empower farmers to grow resilient, nutrient-rich crops without the use of synthetic pesticides.  Explore how these time-tested methods can help you cultivate a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem on your farm.

1. Climate Protection & Seasonal Planting

• Provide adequate protection against harsh weather conditions, such as greenhouses (70%) and frost covers.  Plants thrive in temperatures that are in between 18 degrees and 28 degrees.  Grow and maintain perennial trees and ground covers that naturally reduces the temperature of the land.
• Ensure crops are planted according to their appropriate season for sowing and growth.
• Ensure crops are sowed and planted according to the lunar and constellation planting calendar to give the roots and plant growth the best chance to succeed.  Lunar and constellation planting is based on the concept that the gravitational pull of the moon and the positioning of celestial constellations influence plant growth, water movement, and soil vitality. This approach aligns planting, transplanting, pruning, and harvesting with natural cosmic rhythms to optimize plant health and productivity.
  • Seeds germinate faster and stronger when sown in sync with the moon’s cycle.
  • Plants have better nutrient absorption and stronger resistance to pests and diseases.
  • Harvesting at the right lunar phase improves shelf life and flavor, especially for fruits and herbs.
• Water plants a day before or by the morning of an anticipated frost to allow them to absorb moisture. A well-hydrated plant is more resistant to frost damage.

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​2. Soil Health & Composting

• Use only plant-based compost, not animal compost. Plants that have decomposed naturally provide balanced nutrients essential for plant immunity.
• Continuously add plant compost to sandy or clay-heavy soil to improve soil structure and create loamy soil.
• Avoid digging and tilling, as it disrupts beneficial soil micro-organisms that protect plant roots from pests and diseases.
• Always keep soil covered with mulch, groundcover crops, or fodder crops. Exposed soil deteriorates over time, much like an uncovered wound.

3. Natural Pest Control & Ecosystem Balance

• Utilize natural ecosystems by encouraging the presence of predators that control pests (e.g., ladybugs, dragonflies, frogs, birds, and beneficial insects).
• Do not use pesticides, even organic ones.  Resist the urge even when daunted by the size of the land or production.  All lands are capable of recovering the eco-system.  This is the first step to building a relationship with your land.  Learn to observe your surroundings and identify why natural predators may be missing.
• Promote companion planting to naturally repel pests and enhance biodiversity.

​4. Strengthening Plant Immunity

• A nutrient-rich soil with the right balance of minerals and organic matter strengthens plant resistance to pests and diseases.
• Ensure proper crop rotation to prevent the buildup of soil-borne diseases.
• Introduce bio-dynamic preparations such as compost teas and fermented plant extracts to boost plant health.
• By following these bio-dynamic principles, plants can build natural resilience against pests and diseases while maintaining a healthy, self-sustaining ecosystem.

plant disease classification

The best and most widely used classification of plant diseases is based on the causal agent, such as a noninfectious agent or an infectious agent (i.e., a virus, viroid, mycoplasma, bacterium, fungus, nematode, or parasitic flowering plant).

STRATEGIES TO MANAGE DISEASES:

Tactics for the Reduction of Initial Inoculum

• Avoidance—reduce the level of disease by selecting a season or a site where the amount of inoculum is low or where the environment is unfavorable for infection
• Exclusion—reduce the amount of initial inoculum introduced from outside sources
• Eradication—reduce the production of initial inoculum by destroying or inactivating the sources of initial inoculum (sanitation, removal of reservoirs of inoculum, removal of alternate hosts, etc.)
• Protection—reduce the level of initial infection by means of a toxicant or other barrier to infection
• Resistance—use cultivars that are resistant to infection, particularly the initial infection
• Therapy—use thermotherapy, chemotherapy and/or meristem culture to produce certified seed or vegetative planting stock

Tactics for the Reduction of the Infection Rate

• Avoidance—reduce the rate of production of inoculum, the rate of infection, or the rate of development of the pathogen by selecting a season or a site where the environment is not favorable
• Exclusion—reduce the introduction of inoculum from external sources during the course of the epidemic
• Eradication—reduce the rate of inoculum production during the course of the epidemic by destroying or inactivating the sources of inoculum (roguing)
• Protection—reduce the rate of infection by means of a toxicant or some other barrier to infection
• Resistance—plant cultivars that can reduce the rate of inoculum production, the rate of infection, or the rate of pathogen development
• Therapy—cure the plants that are already infected or reduce their production of inoculum

Tactics for the Reduction of the Duration of the Epidemic

• Avoidance—plant early maturing cultivars or plant at a time that favors rapid maturation of the crop
• Exclusion—delay the introduction of inoculum from external sources by means of plant quarantine

Source:  https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/disimpactmngmnt/topc/EpidemiologyTemporal/Pages/ManagementStrategies.aspx

DISEASES CAUSED BY NON-INFECTIOUS AGENTS

Many diseases and injuries caused by non-infectious agents result in heavy loss but are difficult to check or eliminate because they frequently reflect ecological factors beyond human control.  Symptoms may appear several weeks or months after an environmental disturbance.

Noninfectious diseases, which sometimes arise very suddenly, are caused by the excess, deficiency, nonavailability, or improper balance of:

S/N	DISEASE / PEST MANAGEMENT DESCRIPTION	STRATEGY	ACTION STEPS	LINK
1.	Light
2.	Air circulation
3.	Relative humidity
4.	Essential soil nutrients		Use of organic foliar spray formula every 7-10 days. Integrate with animal urea. Formula: 100 ml vinegar 100 g brown sugar 30L water Use of ground cover (lawn / fodder crops) & no-till. ​
5.	Soil-moisture-oxygen relations		Use of ground cover and no-till.
6.	Soil acidity		Building swales and keylines to restore water table levels in the sand.
7.	Soil alkinity		Building swales and keylines to restore water table levels in the sand.
8.	High Temperature		Use of shade nets
9.	Low Temperature		Use of shade nets
10.	Soil compaction		Use of ground cover and no-till.  Add lant composts regularly.

DISEASES CAUSED BY INFECTIOUS AGENTS

Infectious disease cannot develop if any one of the following three basic conditions is lacking: (1) the proper environment, the most important environmental factors being the amount and frequency of rains or heavy dews, the relative humidity, and the air and soil temperatures, (2) the presence of a virulent pathogen, and (3) a susceptible host. 

Plants are subject to infection by thousands of species from very diverse groups of organisms.  Most are microscopic (is not visible to the naked eye), but a few are macroscopic.  The infectious agents, as previously mentioned, are called pathogens (or agents of diseases) and can be grouped as follows:

S/N	DISEASE / PEST MANAGEMENT DESCRIPTION	SYMPTOMS	STRATEGY	ACTION STEPS	LINK
1.	Viruses and viroids	Symptoms. Because viruses are microscopic, the presence of a virus is only noticed if it produces recognizable symptoms in the organism it is infecting.  In plants these symptoms include mosaic patterns, flower-break, deformed growth, chlorosis or yellowing, stunting and leaf distortion, ringspots, and vein clearing. These symptoms are the result of complex molecular interactions between the virus and the plant. In response to a plant's defense mechanisms, viruses can also trigger a counterattack, such as destroying the plant's defense proteins.  Cultivated plants are often more susceptible to disease than wild plants because they are grown in close proximity to other plants of the same species or variety		Practice crop rotation.	Value
2.	Bacteria	Symptoms of bacterial infection in plants are much like the symptoms in fungal plant disease. They include leaf spots, blights, wilts, scabs, cankers and soft rots of roots, storage organs and fruit, and overgrowth.	Protection	Use of ground cover to regulate soil temperature. No till to retain beneficial insects and micro-organisms. Add plant composts that naturally introduces beneficial microorganisms that fight off disease-causing bacteria.
3.	Fungi	Leaf spots: Fungal infections can cause leaf spots that can dry out and become papery. ​ Signs of infection: Fungal infections can produce visible spores, mildew, or mold on the plant.	Protection	Use the formula by foliar spay on mildew formation.  Apply every 7-10 days up to three times.  Formula: 1 tbsp laundry detergent 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp baking soda 30L water	Natural pest control that works on aphids and powdery mildew:  ​https://www.facebook.com/share/r/u6ShYZ7XHakfQ8dT/www.facebook.com/share/r/u6ShYZ7XHakfQ8dT/
4.	Nematodes	Infested potato plants may show varying degrees of stunting, yellowing of leaves and a tendency to wilt under moisture stress. Roots have swellings or galls, and beads or knots (hence the common name). Affected tubers have blisters or swellings. Symptoms are most severe when crops are grown on sandy soils and warm climates above 25°C	Protection	Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can control nematodes:  Direct antagonism PGPR can directly inhibit nematode development, survival, reproduction, and hatching by producing enzymes, metabolic by-products, and toxins. For example, some PGPR produce hydrogen cyanide to kill harmful organisms in the rhizosphere.  Indirect antagonism PGPR can indirectly control nematodes by inducing systemic resistance (ISR) in plants, which primes them to fight against biotic and abiotic constraints.  Colonization PGPR can colonize the rhizosphere of the host plant, reducing nematode populations.  PGPR can also increase plant growth, nutrient uptake, and plant yield.  Introduce rhizobacteria by adding plant composts to the soil.	Value
5.	Parasitic Seed Plants
6.	Aphids	Aphids feeds on sap from the young stems and branches of its host plants often forming dense colonies on the host.  Large numbers of aphids feeding can cause shoot dehydration, delayed plant regrowth and decrease in the mass of woody tissue. As a by-product of feeding, substantial amounts of honeydew are excreted. The sticky sugary substance attracts ants and wasps and can lead to the development of sooty mould.	Avoidance  ​Exclusion	Avoid using animal manure. ​Avoid planting nitrate-loving plants (with thick leaves) when aphids thrive in season (spring / summer). Reduce the incidence of ant population in the area by keeping the surrounding lands moist.	Add organic composite fertilizer from rice water that reduces nitrate content  that also attracts beneficial insects: (2) Facebookk
7.	Caterpillars of moths Tuta Absoluta (leaf mining moth), DBM (diamond black moth) & armyworm)	The tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta, can cause significant damage to tomato plants, including: Leaf damage: Larvae create blotch-shaped mines in leaves, leaving dark frass behind. Leaves can become malformed, burnt, or die off completely.  Stem damage: Larvae can tunnel into stems, weakening them and making them more likely to break.  Fruit damage: Larvae can attack fruits as soon as they form, feeding on the green parts and causing entry points for fungal diseases. This can lead to rotting fruit before or after harvest.  Plant growth: Infested plants may have stagnant growth, fewer leaves, and reduced chlorophyll content.  Photosynthesis and transpiration: Infested plants may have reduced photosynthesis and transpiration rates.  Water conductance: Infested plants may have poor water conductance.  Intercellular carbon dioxide concentrations: Infested plants may have poor intercellular carbon dioxide concentrations.  Tuta absoluta is a serious pest of tomato crops in South America, but it has spread to other parts of the world. The larvae can also damage terminal buds and flowers. ​See more below.​​	Avoidance ​​Protection	Make the environment is unfavorable for infection.  Brown or sand-coloured insects prefer dry environment.   Keep the environment moist. In addition, a moist environment attract beneficial insects such as beetles, wasps and lacewing bugs that feed on their eggs and larve.
8.	Ants		Avoidance	Make the environment is unfavorable for movement and multiplication of ants.  Brown or sand-coloured insects prefer dry environment that keep their channels opens. ​Keep the environment moist.  The water blocks of the channels effectively cutting off ants to the surface and milking and protecting aphids.
9.	Termites			Make the environment is unfavorable for movement and multiplication of termites.  Brown or sand-coloured insects prefer dry environment that keep their channels opens.   Keep the environment moist and roots of plants alive.  The water blocks of the channels effectively cutting off termites to the roots.  The water additionally keeps the roots of plants alive not giving termites the opportunity to eat the roots.
10.	Moles, hares, mangoose		Avoidance	Make the environment is unfavorable for movement and multiplication of the animals.  Brown or sand-coloured insects prefer dry environment that keep their channels opens. ​Keep the environment moist.  The water blocks of the channels effectively cutting off their habitats.

DBM caterpillars feed on plant foliage, stems, flower heads and pods (Figure 5). Older caterpillars eat many small holes in the leaves of the host plants, often leaving the leaf epidermis (outermost layer of cells) intact, creating a see-through 'window effect’

Most damage is caused by the caterpillars tunnelling into the heads of plants such as cabbage and brussels sprouts and feeding on floral buds, flowers and pods. They also cause contamination of produce by pupating inside broccoli florets and cauliflower curds.

Heavily damaged plants can appear stunted and in most cases will die. Extensive feeding on reproductive plant parts will significantly reduce yields.
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Army worms mostly feed on leaves, but under certain circumstances will feed on the seed stem, resulting in head loss. The change in feeding habit is caused by depletion of green leaf material or crowding.  In the unusual event of extreme food depletion and crowding, they will 'march' out of crops and pastures in search of food, which gives them the name 'armyworm'. ​

Resources:
Companion Planting:  https://www.mofga.org/resources/companion-planting/companion-planting/

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