Reducing Pesticide Use

According to the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, each year California home gardeners apply about one pound of pesticide for every man, woman and child in the state.

To help eliminate a substantial part of this pesticide use, the university has a new book, “Pests of the Garden and Small Farm, A Growers Guide to Using Less Pesticide.” The author is Mary Louise Flint, an authority on pesticides and beneficial organisms.

The book is based on Integrated Pest Management techniques (IPM), which minimizes the use of broad-spectrum pesticides and concentrates on alternatives such as biological controls, resistant varieties, traps and barriers, less toxic pesticides and changes in gardening practices.

Integrated Pest Management is being increasingly practiced by environmentally concerned commercial growers, but this is the first book on the subject designed for the home gardener and small-scale farmer.

It is a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide illustrated with 250 color photographs and 100 black-and-white drawings and photos to enable the reader to identify and prescribe treatment for insects, plant diseases and weeds that affect vegetables and fruit trees.

The price of the book is $25, which covers tax and postage. Order by title and number (3332) from ANR Publications, Dept. NR, University of California, Oakland, Calif. 94608-1239. Your check should be payable to UC Regents.