Efficacy of 1,3-Dichloropropene in Soil Amended with Compost and Unamended Soil

Abstract

1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D) is a likely alternative soil fumigant for methyl bromide. The objective was to determine root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, survival in microplots after exposure to 1,3-D for various periods of time in soil that have previously been amended with compost. The treatments were 1,3-D applied broadcast at 112 liters/ha and untreated controls in both compost-amended and unamended soil. Soil samples were collected from each microplot at 6, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after fumigation at three depths (0-15, 15-30, and 30-45 cm). One week after fumigation, six tomato seedlings were transplanted into each microplot and root galling was recorded 6 weeks later. Plants grown in fumigated compost-amended soil had more galls than plants from fumigated unamended soil at P = 0.1. Gall indices from roots in fumigated soil amended with compost were not different from nonfumigated controls. Based on soil bioassays, the number of galls decreased with increasing time after fumigation in both compost-amended and unamended soil at 0-to-15 and 15-to-30 cm depths, but not at 30 to 45 cm deep. Higher soil water content due to the elevated levels of organic matter in the soil at these depths may have interfered with 1,3-D movement, thus reducing its efficacy.