INFLUENCING FACTORS, EFFECTS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECT OF SOIL SOLARIZATION

Abstract

Soil-borne diseases are one of the major constraints in the production of many economically important crops, especially vegetables and ornamentals. In the past decades, soil fumigants (such as methyl bromide) were the most common approach to control soil-borne diseases. However, such chemical treatments caused environmental hazards; thus, nonchemical soil disinfection methods are being widely pursued in recent years. Among these, soil solarization is one of the most promising methods to control soil-borne diseases. Soil temperature, mulching materials, soil moisture, and climatic conditions are the critical factors that affect the disinfection efficiency. In addition, other factors, for example, soil type; soil color; airtight state of glasshouse; etc. also influence the efficiency. Soil solarization controls soil-borne pests and diseases, nematodes, and weeds, and also influences soil properties and plant growth and yield. Although there are many merits for soil solarization, it also has significant limitations, for example, the relatively long duration of the process, the dependency on climatic conditions, inconsistencies in controlling high-tolerant pests, and problems related to used plastic film disposal. In order to increase treatment efficacy and predictability, integration of solarization with other disinfestation methods is recommended.