A. Gamliel et Jj. Stapleton, IMPROVEMENT OF SOIL SOLARIZATION WITH VOLATILE COMPOUNDS GENERATED FROM ORGANIC AMENDMENTS, Phytoparasitica, 25, 1997, pp. 31-38
Combining organic amendments with soil solarization is a nonchemical a
pproach to improvement of the control of soilborne plant diseases. Pat
hogen control in solarized amended soil is attributed to a combination
of thermal killing and enhanced generation of biotoxic volatile compo
unds. Apparently, pathogen sensitivity to biotoxic volatile compounds
is enhanced with an increase of soil temperature and acts in combinati
on with antagonistic microbial activity, Enhanced biocontrol also may
be involved with some amendments. Toxic volatile compounds including a
lcohols, aldehydes, sulfides, isothiocyanates, and others were detecte
d in soil amended with cruciferous residues during heating. Field sola
rization of soil amended with composted chicken manure gave better con
trol of pathogens and higher yield of lettuce and tomato than either t
reatment alone.