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Section 2.2.2
Disinfecting Soil
Basic potato seed and virus indicator plants can be produced in the
greenhouse using a substrate mix consisting of soil, peat moss, and
sand. Disinfest the mix to prevent tuber and plant contamination by soil-
borne pests and pathogens.
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Along the upper edge of the walls of the chamber, make a ditch 5 cm
wide and 2 cm deep around the chamber (A).
Use clear plastic sheets (0.8–1 mm thick) as a cover (B). This sheeting
should be between A and B, so that it may be used more than once.
Construct a 1/4" x 1 and 3/4" laminated iron frame (C) that fits into the
ditch of the container. Include handles on this frame to ease lifting and
lowering it on and off the treatment chamber. The function of this frame is
to hold the plastic sheet in place. The sheet, in turn, seals the container
before treatment, thereby preventing any gas escape.
Insert a tube (D) capped with a nut through one of the walls at 65 cm
(Figure 2). The tube should be slightly above the level of the soil to allow
the gas to flow into the chamber freely. Connect the methyl bromide gas
to the chamber. There are two ways of doing this:
Make holes (Figure 3) in the damp soil (F) to facilitate the flow of the gas
into the chamber. The holes should have a 2-cm diameter made by a
wooden stick of that size. Make sure they reach the bottom of the
chamber and are 15–20 cm apart.
To seal the container, cover it with the thick plastic, and place the metal
frame on top, ensuring that it sits in the rim of the chamber and effectively
seals it. To make the container totally airtight, spread damp soil or sand
on top of the frame.
Note: During application and when opening the chamber, use gloves, gas
mask, etc. Close the disinfestation chamber tightly to avoid gas leaks.
2. Dosage
The amount of gas (m3) used will vary from 1–1.5 lbs, depending on the
type of soil mixture. Heavy or highly infested soils will need higher doses.
After the first application of a given dose, it is advisable to verify if there
are still fungi, bacteria, or nematodes at the applied dose.
3. Treatment period
The treatment period for methyl bromide is 72 hours. After this treatment
period, uncover the chamber, turn the soil, and let it ventilate for 72
hours. After this, the soil may be used.
As a control, to ensure that there are no toxic residues, put some of the
soil and a lettuce plant into a pot: if the plant suffers no changes, the soil
is safe to use.
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4. Sealing the container
An alternative method of sealing the chamber (rather than making a rim)
is to attach 10 bolts to the top edge of the chamber, construct the frame,
and cover as shown in Figure 4.
This cover is a wooden frame lined with 4-mm plywood (G). For the
frame, use 3/4" lathes for a final depth of 2 cm (1" rough = approx. 3/4"
planed). Perforate holes along the edge of the cover. These holes must
coincide with the positions of the bolts around the chamber. Between the
wooden cover and the chamber, place a sheet of rubber or canvas as a
seal, remembering to make 10 holes in this as well, for the bolts.
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5. Methods for Applying the Gas
The alternative methods for applying the methyl bromide gas are shown
in Figures 5 and 6.
Build the disinfestation chamber (Figure 5, H). Place a tube through the
wall and connect it by using a conducting hose to the 92-kg (200 lb)
methyl bromide cylinder. Inside the chamber, attach the tube to another
plastic tube with small holes at equal distances from each other along its
length. Lay this along the bottom of the chamber to allow for equal
distribution of the gas. The gas flows because it is under pressure in the
cylinder. Before treatment, make the holes in the damp soil, as described
in Figure 3.
Because it is heavier than air, methyl bromide gas rises quickly, then
flows down through the holes into the soil. When a large gas cylinder is
used, place it on a scale to determine, by checking weight loss, the
quantity of gas used in relation to the volume of soil being treated.
The same type of disinfection chamber is used (Figure 5, I). When a 460-
g cylinder is used, apply the gas using the nozzle connected to the pipe,
which passes through the chamber wall. The gas flows out over the
surface of the soil, then sinks into the holes made in the soil and spreads.
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If there is no applicator nozzle on either the 460-g or 92-kg cylinder, use
the same type of chamber with a plastic cover (as shown in Figure 6, J).
If neither a chamber nor applicator nozzle are available (Figure 6, K), pile
the soil mixture to be treated on plastic sheeting. Place a small 460-g gas
cylinder and the wooden piece containing the piercing device on top of
the pile. Cover completely with more plastic sheeting and seal the edges
by piling damp sand or soil around the edge of the plastic. Press the
wood through the plastic so that the piercing device makes a hole in the
cylinder and allows the gas to escape and spread through the soil.
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In a cleared area, level a space 1-m wide and the required length, and
cut a piece of plastic sheeting 1.5-m wide and 0.5-m longer than the
space. Take two boards (10" x 8" x 1") and arrange them perpendicularly
within the cleared area (see Figure 7). Use bricks at each end to support
the wooden boards. Place plastic inside the wooden bed and up over the
edges.
Pile the substrate on the plastic sheet up to 20–30 cm high (Figure 8).
Using a rake, spread it uniformly over the entire prepared surface. Add
water until the normal field capacity is reached, and shape the pile by
folding in the four edges. The bed should now be about 1-m wide x 20-30
cm x the chosen length (Figure 9). After the bed is formed and covered
with plastic, remove the bricks and lumber pieces used to shape it.
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Cover the top with a second plastic sheet (1.5 m x same length). The
edges should extend beyond the bed to facilitate the hermetic sealing
(pile wet sand around the edge as shown in Figure 10). Insert a
thermometer through the plastic into the substrate to register the
temperature during solarization (Figure 10). This will record when the
highest temperature was reached, according to the incidence of solar
radiation.
Arrange the arches over the substrate bed, 1 m apart. The distance
between the stakes at the base of the arches should be approximately
1.4 m, depending on the thickness of the bed. Be sure to leave a space
of at least 20 cm between the arches and the bed (Figure 12).
Place a third plastic sheet over the arches to cover the entire chamber.
Use two plastic sheets, if one is not wide enough. Join the plastic using
two wooden sticks 1 cm x 2 cm the length of the bed. Place one stick
under the plastic sheets and the other on top, joining the two sheets
between the sticks (Figure 13). Nail together using 3/4" nails. Carefully
place the plastic sheets over the anchored arches with the joined edges
of the plastic in the center (Figure 14).
Cover the edges of the plastic that are in contact with the ground with
sand to hermetically seal the chamber (Figure 14).
Bags prepared in this way do not need to be covered with arches or extra
plastic sheets. Trials using this system have demonstrated that the
substrate reached 45o–55o C during daylight hours when the sun's rays
fell perpendicularly (maximum radiation). However, when they were put
under arches and an extra plastic sheet (Figure 16), the temperature rose
to 74oC under the solar radiation conditions (La Molina, Lima, Peru).
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3. Duration of treatment
Fungi
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According to Pullman (1981), solarization reduces the populations of
several fungus species present in the planting substrate, such as
Verticillium dahliae, Pythium sp., Rhizoctonia solani, and Thielaviopsis
basicola.
Bacteria
Many of the bacteria affecting the growth of potatoes are eliminated using
this method. Some researchers have found that solarization-treated soils
presented fewer bacteria and fungus colonies on PDA (potato dextrose
agar), thus confirming the efficiency of solarization treatment.
Nematodes
Insects
Some insect larvae and pupae that attack potatoes can be eliminated.
Nutrient availability
Solarized soil shows a definite increase in organic matter (OM) and mineral
content. Concentrated NO3 increases. Other ions such as NH , K+, Ca+, Mg+,
4
and Cl+ also increase.
The substrate is usually prepared using a mixture of peat moss, sand, and
soil. Thus, it has a high organic matter content. When subject to variations in
temperature and moisture content, the mineralization process of organic
matter is accelerated. However, in certain stages of plant development,
symptoms of minor deficiencies may be present, but this may be due to
destruction of beneficial soil flora. The deficiencies can be easily overcome
by applying chelated foliage fertilizer.
Weed seeds
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Recommended Literature
Aguilar, J.; Vitorelli, C. 1987. Desinfeste el substrato de siembra con
bromuro de metilo para producir "semilla basica" de papa en
invernadero. INIPA/COTESU, Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP),
Lima, Peru.
Aguilar, J. et al. 1989. Desinfeste el substrato de siembra por el método
de solarizacion. INIPA/COTESU/CIP, Centro Internacional de la
Papa (CIP), Lima, Peru. Pullman (1981) 12pp.
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