However, any crop will respond to improved soil fertility, and it is almost always necessary to provide some form of nitrogen to non-leguminous crops. Pest management . Since few, if any, pesticides are registered for most alternative crops, organic pest control strategies such as crop rotation or biological control agents may be needed. Organic pesticides such as pyrethrins and Bt often can be applied legally and within organic certification guidelines. As with conventional crops, field scouting and integrated pest management strategies help.
Harvesting can be a challenge with alternative crops.
Alternative fruits and vegetables may require labor-intensive hand harvest. Mechanical harvest of alternative grains and oilseeds is usually feasible with conventional equipment, but equipment adjustments or modifications may be necessary, at least to adjust for seed size. Some alternative grains have lodging or seed shatter problems that make a timely harvest especially important. Few guidelines are available on appropriate harvest and storage moisture for grain-type alternative crops. Since many alternative crops do not dry down evenly in the field before harvest, some air drying of stored grain may be necessary.