Pesticides for Turnip Greens

Pests

• Turnip crops commonly fall victim to flea beetles and aphids. Both the cabbage flea beetle and the striped flea beetle are known turnip pests. They chew the stems and eat holes in the leaves and cotyledons. The turnip louse or aphid feeds on the underside of the leaves, causing them to curl and change color. Fungal infections that affect turnip greens include blue mold, bacterial diseases, downy mildew, army worms, cabbage webworms, corn earworms, imported cabbage worm, cabbage looper and sclerotinia.

Insecticides

• The term “pesticides” includes fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and rodenticides. Insecticides formulated specifically for use on turnips and other vegetable crops include diflubenzuron. This is an insecticide containing substituted benzoylurea, an insect growth regulator that sells under the name Dimillin. The product is manufactured for use on a wide range of leaf-eating insects. The army worms and other types of worms can be controlled using zeta-cypermethrin, a pyrethroid-based insecticide sold under the names Fury and Mustang.

Fungicides

• Fungal infestations can decimate a turnip green crop rapidly. Fungicides made from tebuconazole are formulated to eliminate a wide range of fungus types. The product sells under the brand names Folicur, Elite and Raxil. Copper- and sulfur-based fungicides are used in organic farming of turnip greens and other vegetable crops, as part of an integrated plant-management program. Although both of these substances have been in use for centuries, their inorganic composition requires careful handling to be effective in preventing fungal infestations.

Use

• Agriculturists usually recommend preventative measures such as companion planting and organic products before resorting to chemicals. When such measures fail, however, pesticides may still save the crop if used correctly. According to the small farm program at the University of California-Davis, accurate identification of the pests is critical to the success of the program. Proper timing and application of the pesticide products is equally vital, and observing cautionary measures such as the “pre-harvest interval” is necessary to ensure that by the time the turnip greens are picked for use, minimal chemical residues remain.

Risks

• As pesticides are chemically-based compounds, using them carries the risk of exposure and potential resulting complications. Section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act’s enforcement criteria regulates the levels of residue allowed on vegetables. This does not affect turnip greens grown for personal use; however if you plan to sell your greens at market you will be required to provide evidence of the types and the quantities of pesticides used and observance of the pre-harvest interval.