> My bilingual CAB Lexicon of Entomological and Related Terms indicates that Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Gn.) is "a perforador del fruto del tomate" (the definition is from Venezuela), with NO English c>
> A search of the University of Hawaii database using Carlweb turned up no matches, which reinforces that supposition. Using Uncover gave the same negative results. Is this pest similar to a pin worm>
> On 11/06/99 at 2:43 PM Anita Graf (Staff) wrote:
>
> >Often times "sustainable" amounts to
> >figuring out if something ought to be grown in a specific place in
> >the first place.
>
> What criteria are you applying to whether "something ought to be grown in a specific place"?
Good question. Given the water, soil, temperature, humidity needs of
the plant, is that available in a rational, sustainable way in the
specific place? And given the needs of the land, is a particular
plant and its characterists most appropriate to that place? Given
that tomatoes (and nightshades in general) are native to the
Americas, maybe this is a given for tomatoes in Brazil. Or maybe the
altitude, water, or temperature issues are wrong in this particular
place, Brazil being the humongous, diverse country that it is. Or
maybe they're trying to farm the thin former soils of rain forest
where maybe native forest species would be more appropriate (just
guessing and imagining, I really don't know what are the most
appropriate measures for former rain forest areas). Or maybe they
are on eroded hillsides where permanent tree crops would be more
appropriate than short cycle tomatoes. Or maybe its the wrong season
for tomatoes, assuming they're not so close to the seasonless
equator, making them weak and more prone to pests and disease.
> >it may be time to reasses the planting regime from the beginning.
>
> Could you do that for us?
I'm sure there are others who are better equiped than I to do this,
but the point is, whoever does this, most know much more about the
conditions under which the tomatoes are being grown. My point is
that we should not be so wedded to an idea that our minds are closed
to other possiblities. What I am proposing is a greater openess to
the appropriatness of agriculture and the needs of the land. Without
this, people make absurd decisions like growing cattle where rain
forest stands, or growing oranges in the California desert, or
putting in cities on the Florida everglades, or having golf coarses
in Las Vegas and Pheonix, or growing thousands of monocrop acres of
the same thing year after year.
> >Uh, not having anything technical to add to this discussion, I would
> >still like to make a comment.
>
> Obviously. But why? Was this what you consider to be a philosophic contribution, or perhaps metaphysical? You began with the following supposition that was far from established:
Yes, this was a philosophical contribution. Is that so wrong?
> >If soils are fertile and well cared for and other basic
> >sustainablity steps have been taken
>
> I suggest that attention be given toward resolving the underlying problems, rather than supposing
a given crop - in this case, a tropical fruit with a multitude of
varieties that have adapted to a multitude of soil and climatic
conditions, "ought not be grown in a specific place".
I was not trying to say that it is the case that tomatoes cannot be
grown in Brazil (that would be absurd) or even that they should not
be grown in this particular place (I have no idea about this
particular place). I agree that the first measure is to attend to
"underlying problems" especially if they relate to soil fertility,
natural seed selection, and plant combinations and rotations. Again,
maybe a crop like tomatoes was not the best choice behind which to
pin my philosophical point, but that doesn't make the philosophy any
less valid.
> Lastly, a careful selection of seed sources for relatively resistant (to known local diseases), natural (not GMO) varieties is always a good place to start. The next step would be to contact the Bra>
> Douglas Hinds
>
> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
>
> On 11/06/99 at 2:43 PM Anita Graf (Staff) wrote:
>
> >> There are no really good remedies for it here, either. Late blight is a
> >> major problem for tomato and potato growers in some areas, regardless of
> >> what chemicals they use. We deal with it on our farm by using long
> >> rotations (five years) and strict field sanitation (all residues
> >> incorporated immediately after last harvest).
> >>
> >Uh, not having anything technical to add to this discussion, I would
> >still like to make a comment. Often times "sustainable" amounts to
> >figuring out if something ought to be grown in a specific place in
> >the first place. When nature starts a full-on combat of something,
> >it can sometimes mean that that something just isn't appropriate to
> >the area. If soils are fertile and well cared for and other basic
> >sustainablity steps have been taken and still it takes an arsenal of
> >toxic chemicals (organic or not) to get a harvest, it may be time to
> >reasses the planting regime from the beginning. Granted, I don't
> >think that this kind of thinking comes naturally to us humans who are
> >forever trying to fit square pegs into round holes, but it should be
> >considered.
> >
> >Anita
> >
> >
> >Anita Graf
> >313-F Conner Hall
> >Dept. of Agricultural and Applied Economics
> >University of Georgia
> >Athens, GA 30602-7509
> >(706) 542-1915 phone
> >(706) 542-0739 fax
> >agraf@agecon.uga.edu
> >
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>
>
>
Anita Graf
313-F Conner Hall
Dept. of Agricultural and Applied Economics
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-7509
(706) 542-1915 phone
(706) 542-0739 fax
agraf@agecon.uga.edu
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