Abstract
Effect of several soil fumigants on plant-parasitic nematodes, weeds, and snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) production were evaluated in a commercial site in southeast Florida in 2002-03. Treatments consisted of methyl bromide (98%) + chloropicrin (2%), metam sodium, metam sodium + chloropicrin, and a nontreated control. All fumigant treatments reduced (P 0.05) weed populations compared to the nontreated control. Stubby-root nematode (Paratrichodorus spp.) numbers were reduced initially by the soil fumigants, but recovered after 5 months. Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) levels were low, variable, and not affected (P 0.10) by treatment. Heights of plants in nontreated plots were stunted compared to plants in fumigated plots, and more plants were lost (8.7%) from nontreated plots than from fumigated plots (2.1%). The number of cut flowers harvested from nontreated plots was 7.0% lower than the harvest from plots treated with methyl bromide + chloropicrin. In most instances, the performance of the alternative fumigants, metam + chloropicrin or metam alone, was similar to that of methyl bromide + chloropicrin.
