Solarization : an environment-friendly technology for pest management

Abstract EN

Solarization is a mulching process that occurs in moist soil which is covered by plastic film and exposed to sunlight, especially during summer months.

Heat is trapped in the soil and rising soil temperatures become lethal as a function of time to most plant pathogens.

Associated with solarization are complex changes in the biological, chemical, and physical properties of soil.

These changes include sharp decreases in the populations of soilborne pathogens with increased populations of beneficial bacteria and fungi.

Improved tilth of soil, increased availability of plant nutrients, especially nitrogen, and a rapid increase in populations of plant growth-promoting bacteria in solarized soil are associated with increases in plant growth and crop yields.

Soil solarization is a nonchemical process and encompasses the main principles of integrated pest management; it is an effective alternative to chemical disinfestation of soil and promotes a sustained and natural system of biological control of plant diseases.

In contrast with chemical soil fumigants such as methyl bromide, solarization is an environment-friendly technology.

The most intensive use of soil solarization has been in plastic houses although field applications have been successful in some agricultural regions