Abstract
With few exceptions, United States law defines a “pesticide” as any substance (or combination of substances) used to kill, repel, or mitigate a pest. The definition also includes substances which regulate plant growth or act as defoliants or desiccants. Every pesticide product has to be registered before it is used for tomato or any other crop. This is required of conventional, man-made chemical pesticides as well as biological pesticides, which can be completely natural in origin. Pesticides, carefully chosen, are entirely compatible with the principles of integrated pest management (IPM).