ISHS Acta Horticulturae 255: III International Symposium on Soil Desinfestation
USE OF FORMALIN AS A SOIL STERILANT FOR CONTROL OF SOIL BORNE DISEASES OF FRUIT |
| Author: | R.A. Murray |
| Abstract:
Recent trends towards intensive planting of fruit crops and ornamental species, often requiring re-use of land, have aggravated the problems arising from "soil sickness". Most of the chemical treatments currently available to minimize its effects are expensive and potentially hazardous to use. Formalin has long been recognized as an effective broad-spectrum soil sterilant and has for many years been approved for such use in U.K. glasshouses prior to planting of edible crops. Recent work at East Malling has confirmed earlier reports of the efficacy of formalin as a relatively inexpensive soil treatment prior to planting of apple and ornamental trees. One of the major obstacles to its practical field use was the requirement for an application method capable of delivering the recommended 3 l per m-2 of diluted formalin. This requirement has been fulfilled by the use of a modified, large capacity, low ground pressure slurry distributor. The modifications ensure that the diluted formalin is applied to the soil surface uniformly and reproducibly, with minimal exposure of the operator to the sterilant. Field and laboratory experiments designed to monitor the movement and persistence of formaldehyde residues in the soil have shown that in typical apple growing soils, the sterilant moves down the soil profile to a maximum depth of 50 cm. It is effective even when soil temperature is close to 0°C, at which temperature it is detectable for 5 weeks. | |
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