Application of anaerobic soil disinfestation in Florida; a brief review E. N. ROSSKOPF (1), C. Shennan (2), N. Kokalis-Burelle (3), D. M. Butler (4), P. Serrano-Perez (5), M. d. Rodríguez-Molina (5), J. C. Hong (6). (1) USDA ARS, Ft Pierce, FL, U.S.A.; (2) University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.A.; (3) USDA, ARS, Fort Pierce, FL, U.S.A.; (4) University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, U.S.A.; (5) Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de E
Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a pre-plant, biologically-based alternative to chemical fumigation for controlling multiple soil-borne pathogens and weeds. Application of ASD typically consists of incorporating a labile carbon source, covering the soil with a gas-impermeable plastic, and irrigating the soil to saturation. During this process, the environment under the plastic becomes anaerobic, and many of the byproducts produced by anaerobic organisms inhibit the survival of plant pathogens. Appling ASD in Florida includes the use of feed grade molasses as the carbon source, and incorporating in composted broiler litter (CBL). Clear or opaque film can be used. ASD in Florida has been used to control plant pathogens in diverse crops including tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, cucumber, strawberry, and fresh cut flowers. Comparing ASD to methyl bromide or other soil fumigants, disease ratings and fruit yields for ASD-treated plots were similar to chemical fumigation. Various types of plastic mulch and different nitrogen sources have been evaluated to determine their effectiveness for use in ASD. Current experiments are focused on minimizing disruption to the typical field production practices used by Florida growers, and adapting the approach for spring crop production cycles. View Presentation |