Posts Tagged: fumigant

Outreach on methyl bromide alternatives for the Pacific West region

One of my research focus areas over the past few years has been related to soil fumigation issues, specifically focused on methyl bromide alternatives for the tree and vine nursery industry.  I described some of this nursery work in a post late last year.  Today I wanted to share a brief...

soil fumigation extension Hanson UCD

Methyl iodide (Midas) registration to be suspended in US market

I just read about an interesting development in the methyl iodide (Midas) controversy - the fumigant is being pulled from US use by the manufacturer.  While the decision is not altogether surprising in California, I admit that I didn't expect a US-wide registration withdrawel.   As I mentioned in a...

Perennial Crop Nursery Research - MBAO

One of my major areas of research the past few years has been related to alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation in perennial crop nurseries.  A list of recent posts on soil fumigation research and issues is available.  Some specific research areas have included reducing atmospheric emissions of...

New film traps fumigants and increases strawberry yields

Producing 85 percent of the nation’s strawberries, California growers urgently need alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation if they are to maintain yields. Methyl bromide has been phased out for all but critical uses because it depletes ozone in the upper atmosphere.UC scientists now report that...

Alternatives to fumigation and improving fumigant efficacy

Synthetic soil fumigants such as chloropicrin and 1,3-D are used by some commercial growers to control soilborne pathogens, weeds and nematodes prior to planting strawberries, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and spinach.

These fumigants and all other biocidal products with the potential to harm the environment and human health are highly regulated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, and county agricultural commissioner's offices.

UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Oleg Daugovish and his collaborators work hard to find effective, environmentally safe and economically viable ways to improve efficacy of fumigants and to investigate alternatives to soil fumigation. The Ventura County Cooperative Extension website has archived audio and visual presentations, which include the following topics:

• Assessment of permeability of commercial tarps under a variety of cultural practices and in various soil and environmental conditions is expected to lead to better understanding of maximizing fumigant effectiveness while reducing emissions.

• Growing in substrate (soil-less culture) allows growers to produce crops with minimal plant disease and weeds without using fumigants.

• Heating soil using steam is a successful way to disinfest it. However, the process to generate steam in a field can be slow and very expensive. Researchers are working to find ways to improve speed while reducing cost.

• Most organisms, including plant pathogens, cannot survive without oxygen. Researchers are investigating an organic method to create anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions to treat soil before planting.

• Planting mustard as a cover crop can provide many positive benefits, one of which is allelochemical compounds. These compounds found in mustard are similar to those found in fumigants. Current research shows it is possible to use this green biomass to prepare fields for production.

To read more about Daugovish's research, visit http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/Com_Ag/comveg.

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