Physical and cultural methods for the management of soil-borne pathogens

There is an increasing interest in using physical methods and cultural prac tices (CP) in disease control as alternatives to pesticides for the managem ent of soil-borne pathogens. These can be used alone or as components of pe st management programs. In this regard, there are three categories of CP: ( a) CP for regular purposes which can also be used for disease control, e.g. irrigation; (b) CP which are used solely or mainly for pest control, e.g. sanitation; (c) CP which can be used for both agricultural purposes and pes t control, e.g. crop rotation. The basic principles of CP for pest control are (a) any potential control method may be considered, providing that it i s environmentally, technologically and economically feasible; (b) pesticide usage is minimized by combining with other non-chemical or chemical method s; (c) diseases that are difficult to control or that involve problematic p esticides, e.g. methyl bromide, should be prioritized; (d) economic aspects are taken into consideration. Physical methods include heating the soil or propagation material, irradiation, etc. CP for pest control can be used be fore, at or after planting. They include crop rotation, fallow, flooding, d eep ploughing, flaming, soil solarization - which involves a combination of physical and biological processes, adjusting planting date, irrigation, fe rtilization, compost, weed control, herbicide application, sanitation, till age and others. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.