Evaluation of Chloropicrin as a Soil Fumigant against Ralstonia solanacarum in Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) Production in China

Abstract

BackgroundChloropicrin (Pic) offers a potential alternative to methyl bromide (MB) against Ralstonia solanacarum in ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) production. MB is scheduled to be withdrawn from routine use by 2015 in developing countries.MethodsPic treatments were evaluated in a laboratory study and in three commercial ginger fields.ResultsLaboratory studies showed that the EC50 value and EC80 value of Pic were 2.7 and 3.7 mg a.i. kg−1 soil, respectively. Field trials in highly infested soil revealed that treatments of Pic at the dose of 50 g m−2 covered with totally impermeable film (TIF) or polyethylene film (PE) sharply reduced Ralstonia solanacarum and maintained high ginger yields. Both of the Pic treatments provided results similar to, or in some cases slightly lower than, MB with respect to Ralstonia solanacarum control, plant survival, plant growth and yield. All of the fumigant treatments were significantly better than the non-treated control.ConclusionsThe present study confirms that the Pic is a promising alternative with good efficacy against Ralstonia solanacarum for ginger production and could be used in integrated pest management programs in China.

Legacy effects of continuous chloropicrin-fumigation for 3-years on soil microbial community composition and metabolic activity

“…Soil biofumigation with brassica plant residues can prevent the development of pepper Phytophthora blight caused by Phytophthora capsici through altering soil microbial community structures (Wang et al 2014 ). Chloropicrin can sharply reduce the population of R. solanacarum in highly infested soil (Mao et al 2013 ). Whether chloropicrin can control the bacterial wilt by changing soil microbial community structures.…”

“…Soil fumigants are used extensively to control soil-borne pests including nematodes, pathogens, and weeds, so that increasing the yields of many crops (Mao et al 2013 ; Wang et al 2014 ; Ibekwe 2004 ). For instance, bacterial wilt on ginger, caused by the soil-borne bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum , is a major disease responsible for enormous yield losses (Yang et al 2012 ).…”

“…However, MB had been phased out in developing countries owing to its detrimental effects on the stratospheric ozone layer (Bell et al 2000 ). Chloropicrin is a potential replacement for MB, which has been widely used to control ginger bacterial wilt in China (Mao et al 2013 ).…”

Responses of Nitrogen-Cycling Microorganisms to Dazomet Fumigation

“…Soil fumigation enables the production of crops of acceptable yield and quality by effectively controlling soil-borne pathogens, nematodes and weeds. Generally, root crops such as carrots, potato and ginger that have been grown in fumigated soil have fewer rejections for blemishes at harvest and better marketable yield than when they are grown in unfumigated soil ( Jonathan et al, 2005 ; Qiao et al, 2011 , 2012 ; Mao et al, 2014 ). Dazomet (DZ) is a highly effective microbicide that kills pests by a carbonylation reaction with nucleophilic sites (such as amino, hydroxyl, thiol) that may be present in enzyme molecules ( Lin et al, 2000 ).…”

Evaluation of chemical alternatives to methyl bromide in tomato crops in China

“…Many chemical alternatives and their combinations have been suggested as MB replacements and have been tested in field experiments to evaluate their efficacies in controlling various soil pests (Devkota et al, 2013;Cao et al, 2014;Mao et al, 2014a). Among substitutive chemicals, currently registered alternatives to MB are chloropicrin (CP); 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D); methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) generators such as Metam sodium (MNa) and Dazomet (DZ), abamectin (AB) and their combinations (Qiao et al, 2012;Mao et al, 2012;Yan et al, 2012).…”