OPTIMIZING ANAEROBIC SOIL DISINFESTATION: AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOIL FUMIGATION?

Project goals The goal of this project is to test anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) as an economic alternative to MeBr for U.S. growers; using strawberry (coastal California) and pepper/eggplant double crop (southeast Florida) as model production systems. We will manipulate different carbon sources, application methods, irrigation techniques, tarp materials, and timing/length of the tarping period to optimize control of key soilborne pathogens and nematodes. Further we will test a model that predicts the creation of anaerobic conditions and hence pathogen suppression under different soil conditions. The economic feasibility of ASD compared to MeBr treatments will also be assessed for each production system. Most biologically-based pest management systems target one or a few pests only, yet ASD affects a broad range of pest types and species making it functionally similar to current fumigant-based pest management from a grower perspective. The potential commercial application of ASD in the U.S. is extremely high given the relative ease of incorporating ASD into existing production systems