COLUMBUS,Ohio The
loss of methyl bromide as a soil
fumigant has many high-value
fruit and vegetable growers wor
ried, but the solution could be a
simple switch, said Ohio State
University processing vegetable
specialist Mac Riedel.
There are several soil fumi
gants available or .being devel
oped that serve purpose as
methyl bromide, and genetic
resistance, crop rotation, organ
ic amendments, nonfumigant
fungicides, steam, solar heating,
plant breeding and other cultur
al practices are possible replace
ments, Riedel said.
Riedel will discuss fumiga
tion and alternatives at 10:45
a.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, as part of
the Strawberry Short Course at
the 1998 Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Congress in Toledo.
Methyl bromide is a pesticide
used to control fungi, weeds,
nematodes, insects, pathogens
and rodents in agriculture,
stored and transported com
modities, quarantined commodi
ties imported to a country, and
fumigated buildings. In the
United States, about 27,000 tons
of methyl bromide are used
annually, with 87 percent of that
amount used in agriculture, pri
marily as a soil fumigant. U.S.
crops that use the most methyl
bromide are tomatoes (24 per
cent of total use) and strawber
ries (16 percent of total use).
As a soil fumigant, the chem
ical is injected 12 inches to 24
inches deep to sterilize the soil
before a crop is planted. This
practice eliminates nematode,
Tubs., Wed. 8 There., February 3,4,8 51998
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Growers Seeking Alternatives To Methyl Bromide Fumigation
fungi and soil disease threats
and allows for higher yields and
more uniform crops, Riedel said.
However, 50 percent to 95 per
cent of the methyl bromide
injected into the soil eventually
enters the atmosphere and is
believed to be responsible for 5
percent to 10 percent of the cur
rent worldwide ozone depletion.
As a result, in 1994 as part of
the Clean Air Act, the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency prohibited the produc
tion and importation of methyl
bromide in the United States
beginning Jan. 1, 2001.
High-value vegetable and
fruit crops - tomatoes, peppers,
strawberries, raspberries, and
vineyard or orchard replants of
grapes, apples and pears - are
the most affected by the phase
out of methyl bromide. Methyl
bromide fumigation is expen
sive, often costing at least $2,00
per acre, so fumigation hasn't
been an economical option for
lower-valued crops such as com,
soybeans, potatoes, wheat or
others, Riedel said.
"But depending on the type of
organism a grower is trying to
control, finding an alternative to
methyl bromide could be easy,"
he said. "The practicality of
alternatives all depends on the
operation."
A good crop rotation scheme
can control fungi and nema
todes. For example, radishes are
toxic to the root knot nematode,
which would benefit a crop fol
lowing it in rotation. Different
crops included in the rotation
will control different problems,
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Riedel said.
"I'd recommend using cultur
al practices to replace methyl
bromide use, but if they don't
work there are chemical alterna
tives," he said.
Chloropicrin, also used as
tear gas, is a fumigant that will
remain available after methyl
bromide is phased out. Soil
fumigation with Chloropicrin
also costs about $2,000 per acre.
Scientists are experimenting
with non-ozone threatening
methyl bromide replacements
that, if approved, could be fairly
USDA Fruit Researcher Featured
GLASSBORO, N.J. Dr.
Steve Miller, fruit researcher at
the USDA Appalachian Fruit Re
search Station in Keameysville,
W. Va., will discuss management
practices that improve fruit tree
efficiency at the southern New
Jersey fruit meeting on Feb. 18.
Miller, who will also discuss
tree fruit research activities at the
station and how they can help
New Jersey tree fruit growers, will
be one of IS speakers at the one
day program at Masso’s Crystal
Manor in Glassboro, N J., accord
iong to Jerome L. Frecon, chair of
the program.
“ Researchers for Rutgers Co
operative Extension of the New
Jersey Agricultural Experiment
Station will focus on integrated
pest management,” Frecon said.
“Dean Polk will review key tree
fruit pest issues with his col
leagues and discuss the cost of
damage by pests and control prac-
stoc-Coor
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simple alternatives. Methyl
iodide has looked good control
ling pathogens in tests, but its
cost to growers is still unknown,
Riedel said. In 1995, the United
Nations Methyl Bromide
Technical Options Committee
concluded that alternatives
exist or are at an advanced state
of development for more that 90
percent of methyl bromide use.
The 1998 Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Congress is being held
Feb. 4 to Feb. 6 at the Toledo
Sea Gate Centre in conjunction
tices. Dr. Norman Lalancette will
address management strategies to
control brown rot in peaches, and
Dr. Peter Shearer will bring grow
ers up to date on the status of
registrations and use of organic
phosphate and carbamate insecti
cides.”
Research on ground cover man
agement in peach orchards will
also be discussed by Polk. A
unique integrated pest manage
ment marketing program studied
by Polk in Italy will be discussed.
Dr. Bradley Majek will bring
growers up to date on weed and
groundcover management in or
chards while Dr. Joe Heckman
will discuss the importance of or
chard liming on tree fruit produc
tion.
Pesticide applicators for New
Jersey will receive units in core
and the categories PP-2, 1A and
3A. Dr. George Hamilton will dis
cuss adjuvants and spreader stick-
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 31, 1998-All
with the Roadside Marketing
Conference and, for the first
time, with the Ohio Grape-Wine
Short Course.
For registration or additional
information about the Congress
or Roadside Marketing
Conference, those interested
should contact the Ohio Fruit
and Vegetable Growers
Association at (614) 249-2424.
For information on the Ohio
Grape-Wine Short Course, con
tact the Ohio Wine Producers
Association at (440) 466-4417.
ears and their role in pesticide ap
plication.
Other topics of interest will be
topics on chemical thinning by Dr.
Robert Belding, and presentations
on new and exciting peach and ap
ple varieties by Dr. Joe Goffrcda
and Frecon based on research and
evaluations. Progress reports will
be presented on the activities of
the New Jersey Promotion Coun
cil and the New Jersey Peach
Council
A registration fee will be
charged for the full day program
which will include a buffet lunch
eon and apple variety displays and
other displays by commercial ex
hibitors. Information can be ob
tained by contacting the office of
Rutgers Cooperative Extension,
1200 North Delsea Drive, Clay
ton. NJ 08312, (609) 863-0110. or
the New Jersey Horticultural So
ciety, P.O. Box 116, Clayton, NJ
08312.
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