Biopesticides for Organic and Conventional Disease Management in Vegetables and Strawberries

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Biopesticides registered in New York for specific crops with labeled diseases occurring in the Northeast

Lists do not include the few conventional biopesticides (e.g. phosphorous acid fungicides) that are not permitted in organic production.

More information:

Tables of biopesticides to facilitate comparing products for labeled diseases (see webpages above for more information about the products):
cucurbit crops: .pdf .xlsx | tomatoes: .pdf .xlsx
Table of biopesticides organized by type of active ingredient
Database of results from biopesticide evaluations published in PDMR (.xlsx)(Recommendation: in the downloaded file hide columns E, G – I and K – U to facilitate focusing on efficacy information (% control) for each Crop-Disease-Product data line, which is more informative than the actual disease rating data; helpful to keep visible whether the product was tested solo or in a program and also the study Reference column to know which results are from the same study. Hide columns by selecting them, then under ‘Format’ in the menu bar select ‘Column’, then ‘Hide’. To see all results together for a particular product, select all data (columns A-Z, rows 10-end), then Under ‘Data’ select’ Sort’ then pick column D)
References for results from biopesticide evaluations in database
Efficacy of microbial biopesticides published in PDMR (summary of results for products tested singly from database linked above)
Efficacy of biochemical biopesticides and copper published in PDMR (summary of results for products tested singly from database linked above)
Evaluations of Biopesticides and other Organic Fungicides conducted at LIHREC
Biopesticide application costs (table and downloadable excel spreadsheet with cost to apply products at lowest and highest label rates using product price from on-line distributors, plus acreage that a package will treat at those rates. Spreadsheet has a place to enter another rate to determine its cost)
Biopesticides in Vegetable and Herb Disease Management, chapter co-authored by M T McGrath in the Handbook of Plant Disease Management book series
Biocontrol Bytes biopesticides posts (blog from Amara Dunn, Biocontrol Specialist, NYSIPM)

Text below updated May 2022

Biopesticides are defined by EPA as pesticides derived from natural materials. There are three types. Biochemical pesticides contain naturally occurring substances that control pests. Substances that control diseases include potassium bicarbonate, hydrogen dioxide, phosphorous acids, plant extracts, and botanical oils. Microbial pesticides contain microorganisms that function as biocontrol agents, affecting the pathogen directly or indirectly through the compounds they produce. Plant-incorporated protectants or PIPs are the least common type of biopesticide. These are pesticidal substances produced by plants that contain genetic material added to the plant often through genetic engineering. The genetic material and the protein it encodes, but not the plant itself, are regulated by EPA. Examples are virus-resistant varieties producing the virus coat protein, which covers virus particles after infection preventing their replication. More information about biopesticides is on the EPA biopesticide webpage. There are also biopesticides for managing weeds and insect pests.

Biopesticides have advantages. Their activity generally is targeted to pests and closely related organisms, and they are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides, thus they do not have the same potential to affect birds, beneficial insects, and mammals (there are exceptions, so check the label when this is a major reason for choosing biopesticides). And thus they typically have short REI and PHI. They generally decompose fast and sometimes are effective in small quantities, thus exposure is lower and potential pollution problems are avoided. Recognizing that biopesticides tend to pose fewer risks than conventional pesticides, EPA has been encouraging their development and use. EPA generally requires less data to register a biopesticide than a conventional pesticide, but enough data about the composition, toxicity, degradation, and other characteristics of the pesticide to ensure that the product will not have adverse effects on human health or the environment. EPA can conduct the registration process more quickly with biopesticides, often taking less than a year, compared with an average of more than 3 years for conventional pesticides. To facilitate their registration, the Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division was established in the Office of Pesticide Programs in 1994. Some biopesticides are defined as minimum risk pesticides through FIFRA Section 25(b) rule because their active and inert ingredients are generally recognized as safe (GRAS). These consequently are exempted from the regulation requirements of FIFRA and thus can be used on any labeled crops for any target since they do not need to be registered as a pesticide. ‘Exempt from EPA registration’ is stated on the label of these products.

There is a searchable list of active ingredients in biopesticides that have been registered by US EPA. This list does not include the 25(b) ingredients because the biopesticides with them are exempt from registration. There is a downloadable file with 25(b) ingredients.

Limited data on efficacy of biopesticides can be considered their main disadvantage. Data documenting efficacy is not considered when making decisions about registration of pesticides in the USA. Many biopesticides are produced by small companies lacking the R & D funds to support field trials to obtain efficacy data by experienced university and other independent researchers. To help fill this gap, the IR-4 Biopesticide and Organic Support Program funds grants to obtain efficacy information for biopesticides in development as well as those already registered. These funded projects help the program meet its objective, which is to further the development and registration of biopesticides for use in pest management systems for specialty crops (which include all vegetables) or for minor uses on major crops. Information about this program, plus databases of labels and projects are at the program website.

Several biopesticides have proven effective for diseases affecting vegetable crops. Powdery mildew is perhaps the easiest foliar disease to manage with biopesticides. It can be controlled with several different biopesticides, including botanical oil (Organocide, Mildew Cure, etc), potassium bicarbonate (Kaligreen, MilStop), and microbials (Actinovate, Serenade, Sonata, etc). There are links to efficacy data under ‘More information’ above.

Most biopesticides are approved for organic production and most products approved for organic production are biopesticides, thus they have a logical excellent fit for managing diseases in organic crops. However, some formulations are not approved, which can be due to inerts. For example, the potassium bicarbonate products EcoMate Armicarb O, Kaligreen and MilStop are approved whereas Armicarb is not. Also, some biopesticidal substances are not allowed under NOP (National Organic Program), for example phosphorous acids and genetically-engineered PIPs. Additionally, there are important organic fungicides that are not biopesticides, including mineral oils, copper, and sulfur. Biopesticides break down in the environment, thus there is no concern about build-up in soil as with copper, which is an element. However, biopesticides generally do not have the breadth of activity, efficacy, or residual activity of copper; thus it is important to obtain information about these factors and to know the target disease(s) when selecting biopesticides. The earlier in disease development that applications are started, the more effective the product will be. This is not unique to biopesticides. Fungicides cannot eradicate established lesions.

Some biopesticides have induced plant resistance as a mode of action, notably LifeGard, Regalia and products like Serenade that have a Bacillus species as an active ingredient. These need to be applied before infection for this activity to be fully effective.

Biopesticides also have a place in conventional fungicide programs. Many have contact activity and could be used in place of conventional contact fungicides, which include chlorothalonil, copper, mancozeb and sulfur. There are several biopesticides labeled for root diseases and bacterial diseases, for which there are few conventional fungicide options. Additionally, the standard for bacterial diseases, copper plus mancozeb, is not highly effective because these are contact materials (in contrast with many modern conventional fungicides which can move into plant tissue) and bacteria are able to develop resistance to copper. Phosphorous acid fungicides are biopesticides for conventionally-grown crops; their ingredients are synthetic and thus not acceptable for organic crops.

Please Note: The specific directions on fungicide labels must be adhered to — they supersede these recommendations, if there is a conflict. If you are farming organically, before purchase make sure product is registered in your state and approved by your certifier. Any reference to commercial products, trade or brand names is for information only; no endorsement is intended.