Chemical alternatives to methyl bromide for vegetable crop production in Florida, United States.
2006
Santos, B. M. | Gilreath, J. P.
Vegetable crop production in Florida, USA, relies on planting on polyethylene-mulched beds fumigated with methyl bromide plus chloropicrin (MBr+Pic) for soil-borne disease, nematode and weed control. However, MBr for agricultural use has been phased out because it is an ozonedepleting molecule. A considerable amount of research has been conducted to identify alternatives to MBr in Florida, where most of the year soil-borne pests thrive under its subtropical climate. Most of the published articles have studied the efficacy of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), Pic, dazomet and metam on soil-borne pests. Also, there are preliminary results with methyl iodide, propylene oxide and dimethyl disulfide, which currently are still the subject of scrutiny. Reported studies have shown that there is no definitive one-to-one replacement to this fumigant for controlling soil-borne disease, nematodes and weeds. Instead, pest management has focused on combining the activity of several active ingredients and improving fumigant retention in the soil with mulches. In particular, the majority of available MBr alternatives provide effective control against most soil-borne diseases and nematodes, assuming that correct application methods and rates are used. However, in situations where <i>Cyperus</i> is troublesome, alternative fumigants could be combined with herbicides to minimize weed interference.
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