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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Plant Pathology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #258722
Title: OPTIMIZING ANAEROBIC SOIL DISINFESTATION FOR NON-FUMIGATED STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA

Author
item SHENNAN, CAROL - University Of California
item MURAMOTO, JOJI - University Of California
item KOIKE, STEVE - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item BOLDA, MARK - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item DAUGOVISH, OLGA - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item MOCHIZUKI, M - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item Rosskopf, Erin
item Burelle, Nancy
item BUTLER, DAVID - University Of Tennessee

Submitted to: Proceedings of Methyl Bromide Alternatives Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/11/2010
Publication Date: 10/15/2010
Citation: Shennan, C., Muramoto, J., Koike, S., Bolda, M., Daugovish, O., Mochizuki, M., Rosskopf, E.N., Burelle, N.K., Butler, D. 2010. OPTIMIZING ANAEROBIC SOIL DISINFESTATION FOR NON-FUMIGATED STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA. Proceedings of Methyl Bromide Alternatives Conference. 230:1-4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Considerable financial resources are being invested in the search for chemical fumigant alternatives to methyl bromide (MeBr). However, current re-registration and regulation processes may severely limit the sustainability of fumigant-dependent production systems. Soilborne disease management without use of chemical fumigants is one of the greatest challenges for strawberry production in California. Developed in Japan and the Netherlands anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), a non-chemical alternative to MeBr, can control soilborne pathogens and nematodes in strawberries and vegetables. In Japan, hundreds of farmers use ASD to control soilborne pathogens (including Verticillium dahliae) and nematodes in strawberries and vegetables grown in greenhouses. To optimize ASD for California strawberries, pot and field studies have been conducted over the last three years. Wheat bran, rice bran, mustard cake, grape pomace, and ethanol all reduced V. dahliae propagules when used as a C source for ASD. Rice bran from Northern California rice industry is the most economical. ASD reduced native V. dahliae populations by 16-80% depending on tarp type and irrigation in a very heavily-infested field in Ventura (2009) and by an average of 88% in Salinas (2008-9). In the Salinas trial, native V. dahliae populations in soils of ASD plots were equal to, or lower than the In-Line fumigant-treated surrounding area. Overall, we found that ASD can be very effective at the field scale in strawberry systems in coastal CA with sandy loam to silty clay loam soils using 4.5 to 9 tons ac-1 of rice bran and 3 to 5 ac-in of intermittently applied drip-irrigated water in bed treatment. However, we also found that the level of control is not consistent across all studies and treatments.