Soil treatment with hot air (Cultivit) as alternative to methyl bromide.
A new development in physical soil treatment is the application of hot air. Hot air treatment is based on blowing extremely hot air into rotavating humid soil. The method has been developed and applied commercially in Israel for the last few years. An increased growth response (IGR) was observed in several crops like potato, cauliflower, kohlrabi and the flower Esclepia, when the soil was treated with hot air prior to planting. Scientific trials were performed in Israel and Cyprus to quantify IGR and to evaluate the efficacy against plant-parasitic nematodes. Squash was grown in tunnels on root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita) infested fields in sandy (Israel) and clay loam (Cyprus) soils. In Israel hot air treatment was compared with metam sodium and methyl bromide and a cold air treated control. In Cyprus hot air treatment was compared with untreated control. Hot air treatment increased squash yield in Israel with 90 % and in Cyprus with 150%. Root assessments showed that after hot air treatment the root-knot nematodes were still able to infest plants and cause galling damage. Nematode counts were not reduced by hot air treatment. It may be concluded that the general concept of soil disinfestation is not applicable to hot air treatment. Any positive effect in yield could not be explained by reduction in nematode populations in soil. Possible chemical and biological changes in the hot air treated soils need to be identified. Further research will determine the possibilities and limitations of this method in other crops and under various climatic conditions.
Runia
W T
WT
Applied Plant Research, 8200 AK Lelystad, The Netherlands. willemien.runia@wur.nl
Molendijk
L P G
LP
Neophytou
G
G
Greenberger
A
A
D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D028464:Cucurbita / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology*; D003535:Cyprus; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000633:toxicity; D007557:Israel; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000469:parasitology; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D014431:Tylenchoidea / Q000254:growth & development*
D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; D012987:Soil; C005218:methyl bromide