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Soil Solarization: a Non-Chemical Approach for Management of Plant Pathogens and Pests

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Soil Solarization: a Non-Chemical Approach for Management of Plant Pathogens and Pests CROP PROTECTION (1986) 5 (3), 190-198 Soil solarization: a non-chemical approach for management of plant pathogens and pests J.J. STAPLETON* AND J. E.DEVAY? * US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Fruit Laboratory, Horticultural Science Institute, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA, and TDepartment of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA ABSTRACT. Soil solarization is a special mulching process which causes hydrothermal disinfestation and other physical and biological changes in soil which are beneficial to plant health and growth. Plastic film laid over moist soil during periods of high air temperature, usually for l-2 months, can greatly reduce or eradicate a number of pathogens and pests including fungi, bacteria, nematodes, arthropods and weeds. Following soil solarization, growth of microflora beneficial to plant growth or antagonistic to pathogens and pests may slow the reinfestation of soil by these organisms for more than one growing season. Increased plant growth and yield of annual and perennial field, row, and nursery crops usually occur following soil solarization. In addition, the availability of increased mineral nutrients following solarization may reduce crop fertilization requirements. Soil solarization has been effective as a pre-plant and as a post-plant treatment, and has been compatible with chemical soil treatments and also biological soil amendments after solarization. Soil solarization is a significant advance in the non-chemical control of many pathogens and pests. Introduction field and landscape crops have been reported in conjunction with plastic mulching. The modes of Mulching-the covering of the soil surface with action are similar to those obtained with other organic or inorganic materials to increase crop mulching materials. Weed control is one of the production-has been used for at least several hundred primary benefits of mulching with black plastic, but years. Mulches increase plant growth through other forms of pest and disease control have been increased soil moisture accumulation, infiltration and reported. Several of the following reports cite retention, weed control, soil temperature manage- increased plant growth even when diseases are not ment, protection against soil erosion, improvement of controlled. Greater activity of Rhizoctonia solani was soil tilth, increases in available soil nutrients and pest found in soil planted to strawberry mulched with and disease control. Traditional mulches include intact translucent, black or aluminium polyethylene films or decomposed plant residues, sawdust, animal wastes, than in untreated control soil in a relatively cool stones or other materials. More recently, mulching climate; however, plant growth and yield were technology has included application of thin sheets of increased in the mulched treatments (Waggoner et al., paper or plastic materials to the soil surface, resulting 1960). Control of southern blight on tomatoes and in similar or increased benefits to crops (Jacks, Brind dwarf bean caused by Sclerotium rolfsii, as well as and Smith, 1955; Rowe-Dutton, 1957; Courter and control of tomato fruit rot, was reported using black Oebker, 1964; Lippert, Takatori and Whiting, 1964; polyethylene film mulches (Geraldson, Overman and Lal, 1974; Balderdi, 1976; Unger, 1978). Mulches Jones, 1965; Reynolds, 1970). Significantly less have historically been used as post-planting treat- infection of lettuce plants by Sclerotinia minor was ments: hence, much of the work on plastic mulches has found using black film mulching (Hawthorne, 1975). been done under post-planting conditions. Pre-plant In addition, reductions in soil populations of the application of film mulches was mainly to warm soil to phytoparasitic nematodes Criconemoides ornatus and provide an early start for crop plants (Hopen, 1965; Pratylenchus penetrans were found by using black Voth, Bringhurst and Bowen, 1967; Waggoner, Miller polyethylene mulching (Miller, 1977; Johnson, and De Roo, 1960). Sumner and Jaworski, 1979). Yield and growth increases of many vegetable, fruit, Increased numbers of second stage larvae of 0261-2194/86/03/0190-08 $03.00 0 1986 Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd J.J. STAPLETONAND J.E.DEVAY 191 Meloidogyne incognita in soil and increased root galling into large differences in soil heat transfer charac- found in cucumber were associated with black film teristics (Smith, 1964). mulching, although yields with the mulch treatment 3. Soil moisture. Moist soil, either irrigated before were significantly increased over untreated control mulching or irrigated under the plastic film, soil; however, fewer Pratylenchus penetrans larvae increases the thermal sensitivity of soil-borne were found in tomato roots under black film mulching microflora and fauna, as well as heat transfer or (Miller, 1977; Johnson et al., 1979). Reflective plastic conduction in the soil. Saturated soils are optimal and aluminium film mulches have been successfully (Mahrer et al., 1984). used to repel vectors and reduce the severity and 4. Film type and characteristics. The plastic film spread of several virus diseases (Price and Poe, 1976; reduces heat losses from soil that would be caused Chalfant et al., 1977; Toscano et al., 1979). Chalfant by evaporation and heat convection. Clear trans- (1969) reported reduced damage to turnips by root parent polyethylene is usually employed, mainly aphids with the use of aluminium film mulch. In because of its low cost and high strength, and allows several of the above studies, as well as in those of maximum transmittancy of radiation from 0 *4pm Hankin, Hill and Stephens (1982) and Sumner et al. to 36pm (Waggoner et al., 1960). However, other (1978), soils mulched with polyethylene film were plastics are superior to polyethylene in radiation assayed for effects on fungal and bacterial populations; transmission characteristics (Trickett and Goulden, in all studies, insignificant or inconclusive differences 1958). Polyvinylchloride films have been used for were found between mulched and unmulched control solarization in greenhouses in Italy and Japan soils. (Garibaldi and Tamietti, 1983; Horiuchi, 1984). A major improvement in agricultural mulching was Coloured transparent films may reduce the deposi- reported from Israel where moist soil mulched for 4-5 tion of water droplets on the underside of the weeks before planting with transparent polyethylene plastic, thereby increasing radiation transmission film during the hot summer months, was effectively and soil temperature (Trickett and Goulden, 1958; disinfested of certain phytopathogenic fungi and weed Inada, 1973). Thinner films, 19-25 pm (3/4-1 mil”) seeds (Katan et al., 1976). In addition, yields of test are more effective for soil heating than thicker crops were markedly increased. A considerable films (50-100pm) and are proportionally less amount of research on this method of soil disinfesta- expensive. The increased heating of moist soil tion has since been done. The treatment has been during solarization and the associated effects on referred to in various publications as solar pasteuriza- the physical, chemical and biological environments tion, solar heating of soil, polyethylene mulching, soil in solarized soil are the principal effects of solariza- tarping and soil solarization. The term soil solarization tion. is now widely used (Katan, 198 1; Pullman et al., 1984). In level fields, without deep furrows, irrigation water can be run under the film in the shallow furrows Solarization technology made by tractor wheels during application of the The term solarization, if used in the strict sense, refers plastic. If such irrigation is not feasible, soils can be to a chemical change in glass, caused by sunlight or preirrigated and the plastic film laid on the soil as soon other ultraviolet radiation, which causes a photo- as possible thereafter (Pullman et al., 1979). For chemical reaction resulting in a decrease in ultraviolet certain cash crops and in fields where weed control in transmission in addition to a noticeable colour change the seed-bed is a major objective, the fields may be (Koller, 1965). Our use of the term extends the bedded-up before film application; the plastic strips meaning of solarization to include the thermal, which tightly cover the raised beds are anchored in soil chemical and biological changes in soil caused by solar at each side of the beds. These fields can then be radiation when covered by clear plastic film, especially furrow-irrigated and the water sub-soiled into the when the soil has a high moisture content. Many of the raised beds. The plastic film should not be placed physical bases of soil solarization have been reviewed across deep furrows, because air insulation in the by Katan (1981). The following factors are involved: furrow will greatly reduce the effectiveness of the solarization treatment and stimulate weed growth. The 1. Soil preparation. Absorption of radiation by the soil solarization treatment is most effective when applied and therefore heating of soil is best when the plastic during the warmest summer months and the plastic film is laid close to the soil with a minimum of sheeting left in place for as long as practical (at least 4 airspace to reduce the insulating effect of an air weeks). layer. Good land preparation is essential to provide Maximum temperatures in upper soil layers under a smooth, even surface. ideal conditions are achieved within 3-4 days after
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