County Extension Agents are trained to assist growers in getting accurate and timely diagnosis of diseases and disorders. Crop Rotation Rotation to non-host crops is a valuable tool in vegetable crop production. The concept is to allow the pathogen population to decline over time by starving the pathogen and depleting its resting stages. This practice slows pathogen buildup in fields routinely used for vegetables and can be used to reduce the level of pathogen in fields after a serious disease outbreak. Unfortunately, it is not effective against all diseases but where it is, it is most valuable and environmentally safe.
Crop rotation controls more diseases than any other single cultural step.
When rotation is not practiced, expect increases in both the numbers and intensity of diseases. As a general rule in rotating your vegetable crops, avoid planting the same crop species or closely related species in the same place more than once every three years. Crops grouped together below are subject to the same disease and insect problems. Grasses are often excellent crops to rotate with them. Also, many unrelated vegetable crops share root knot nematodes, so major changes in the rotational patterns are needed where nematodes become a problem.