SOLARIZATION IS AN EFFECTIVE SOIL DISINFESTATION TECHNIQUE FOR STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION

Soil solarization, alone and combined with metam sodium (MS), was evaluated as an alternative to methyl bromide and chloropicrin (MBC) fumigation, the standard soil disinfestation technique in the California strawberry (Fragaria xananassa Duch.) industry. Tests were conducted in two consecutive annual production cycles in Irvine, Calif., an environment representative of the coastal strawberry production area. Solarization treatments were applied from late July through September for October plantings. Treatments were equally effective in reducing baited populations of Phytophthora cactorum [(Lebert and Cohn) J. Schrot] (1989-90) and P. citricola Sawada (1990-91) when compared to pathogen survival in nontreated soil. Solarization and MBC reduced Verticillium dahliae Kleb inoculum in 1989-90, but MBC gave superior control in 1990-91. Solarization significantly controlled annual weeds, but was less effective than MBC. In 1989-90, solarization alone increased strawberry yield 12 % over the yield of nontreated plots; when combined with MS, yield increase was 29%, equivalent to that achieved with MBC fumigation. Treatments were equally effective in increasing yields in the 1990-91 test. Chemical names used: sodium N-methyldithiocarbamate (metam sodium), chloropicrin nitrotrichloromethane (chloropicrin).