http://hdl.handle.net/1813/42895 2016 Organic Production and IPM Guide for Lettuce NYS IPM Publication No. 136 Integrated Pest Management New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Coordinating Editor Abby Seaman* (Cornell University, New York State Integrated Pest Management Program) Contributors and Resources George Abawi (Cornell University, Section of Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology, retired) Beth K. Gugino (The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Plant Pathology) Michael Helms* (Cornell University, Pesticide Management Education Program) Anusuya Rangarajan (Cornell UniversityHorticulture-SIPS, Vegetable Crop Production) Margaret McGrath* (Cornell University, Section of Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology) Charles L. Mohler (Cornell University, Cornell University, Section of Soil and Crop Sciences, retired) Brian Nault* (Cornell University, Department of Entomology) Ward M. Tingey (Cornell University, Department of Entomology, Emeritus) *Pesticide Information and Regulatory Compliance Staff Writers Elizabeth Graeper Thomas and Mary Kirkwyland (Cornell University, NYSAES, New York State IPM Program) Editing for the 2016 update Mary Kirkwyland (Cornell University, NYSAES, New York State IPM Program) Special Appreciation Format based on the Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production https://ipmguidelines.org/ . Content Editors Stephen Reiners and Abby Seaman, with numerous discipline editors. Funded in part by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets The information in this guide reflects the current authors’ best effort to interpret a complex body of scientific research, and to translate this into practical management options. Following the guidance provided in this guide does not assure compliance with any applicable law, rule, regulation or standard, or the achievement of particular discharge levels from agricultural land. Every effort has been made to provide correct, complete, and up-to-date pest management information for New York State at the time this publication was released for printing (June 2016). Changes in pesticide registrations and regulations, occurring after publication are available in county Cornell Cooperative Extension offices or from the Pesticide Management Education Program web site (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu). Trade names used herein are for convenience only. No endorsement of products in intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products implied. This guide is not a substitute for pesticide labeling. Always read the product label before applying any pesticide. Updates and additions to this guide are available at http://nysipm.cornell.edu/resources/publications/organic-guides. Please submit comments or suggested changes for these guides to [email protected]. How to cite this publication: Seaman, Abby, editor (2016). Production Guide for Organic Lettuce. Publisher: New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, Cornell University (New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY). 63 pages. 1 2016 Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1. General Organic Management Practices ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Organic Certification .................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Organic System Plan .................................................................................................................................................................. 1 2. Soil Health ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1 3. Cover Crops ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 3.1 Goals and Timing for Cover Crops ............................................................................................................................................ 2 3.2 Legume Cover Crops ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 3.3 Non-legume Cover Crops .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 3.4 Combining Legumes and Non-legumes. .................................................................................................................................... 3 3.5 Biofumigant Cover Crops .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 4. Field Selection.......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 4.1 Certification Requirements ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 4.2 Crop Rotation Plan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 4.3 Pest History ................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 4.4 Soil and Air Drainage................................................................................................................................................................. 7 5. Weed Management ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 5.1 Record Keeping .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 5.2 Weed Management Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 6. Recommended Varieties .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 7. Planting ................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 7.1 Direct Seeding .......................................................................................................................................................................... 13 7.2 Transplant Production .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 7.3 Greenhouse Sanitation and Disease Management .................................................................................................................... 14 7.4 Transplant Growing Mix .......................................................................................................................................................... 14 7.5 Transplanting ........................................................................................................................................................................... 15 7.6 Planting Dates .......................................................................................................................................................................... 15 8. Crop and Soil Nutrient Management ..................................................................................................................................... 15 8.1 Fertility ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 8.2 Preparing an Organic Nutrient Budget ..................................................................................................................................... 16 9. Harvesting ............................................................................................................................................................................. 19 9.1 Harvest Methods ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19 9.2 Storage ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 9.3 Microbial Food Safety.............................................................................................................................................................. 20 10. Using Organic Pesticides .....................................................................................................................................................