| Abstract: | The area of land under protected cropping in the sub-tropical region is surveyed. In the northern part of the region, glasshouses are prevalent, while in the southern part, plastic houses are more common. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies under the different cultural and climatic conditions are presented, with special emphasis on the use of alternative control measures. The most important soil-borne and foliar diseases of vegetable and ornamental crops grown in the area are considered with respect to the most effective and widely used control methods. Use of resistant varieties and appropriate cultural practices is one of the control measures most frequently adopted. Particularly, control of environmental conditions can strongly decrease the severity of some foliar pathogens. In the case of soil-borne diseases, soil solarization is already carried out in practice. Antagonists, isolated from suppressive soils, can be used successfully against some plant pathogens and, in the future, could provide another option. |
