title: Plant Diseases and Management Approaches in Organic Farming Systems.
abstract: Organic agriculture has expanded worldwide. Numerous papers were published in the past 20 years comparing plant diseases in organic and conventional crops. Root diseases are generally less severe owing to greater soil health, whereas some foliar diseases can be problematic in organic agriculture. The soil microbial community and nitrogen availability play an important role in disease development and yield. Recently, the focus has shifted to optimizing organic crop production by improving plant nutrition, weed control, and plant health. Crop-loss assessment relating productivity to all yield-forming and -reducing factors would benefit organic production and sustainability evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611; email: ahcvanbruggen@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: A H C
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: van Bruggen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Ecological Plant Protection, University of Kassel, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Finckh
mesh_terms: D000388:Air / Q000469:parasitology; D000391:Air Microbiology; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D058871:Organic Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: conventional agriculture; crop-loss assessment; disease suppression; ecosystem health; food web complexity; organic agriculture; plant diversity