Improved efficiency of soil solarization for growth and yield of greenhouse tomatoes

Abstract

-Soil solarization is a pre-planting treatment not based on chemicals, used in hot climates to control weeds and soil-borne pathogens. Its effectiveness has been widely demonstrated, for example, in the USA, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, India and Iraq. However, an improvement in efficacy is needed before it can be widely adapted as a commercial practice. Supplementation of the soil with organic matter prior to solarization has been proposed as a management option, but its effectiveness has yet to be confirmed by any systematic study. Therefore, here we carried out a set of experiments in southern Italy over two seasons to study the effect of four levels of organic supplementation of 0, 0.35, 0.70 and 1.05 kg m −2 prior to solarization. Soil temperature and its chemical properties, as well as plant vegetation growth and fruit production were monitored for tomato plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions. Organic supplementation increased the maximum soil temperature achieved through solarization by 3.9• C to 4.7 • C. At 5 cm below the soil surface, a temperature of over 52 • C prevailed for 22 to 23 days when 0.70 kg m −2 organic supplement was incorporated, and for 14 to 13 days in the presence of 0.35 kg m −2 supplement, but this temperature was attained only for one day in the absence of any supplement. Organic supplementation significantly increased the soil concentration of NO − 3 -N, exchangeable K 2 O, Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ and electrical conductivity. Increased available P 2 O 5 and total N at the end of the crop cycle were also associated with supplementation of solarized soil. Plant vegetative growth was improved by supplementation, with crop plant stem diameter enhanced by up to 18%, above-ground vegetative fresh and dry weight by up to, respectively, 53 and 44%, and the number of leaves per plant by up to 16%. As the supplementation rate was raised from 0 to 0.70 kg m −2 , fruit yield was increased by about 70% (from 4.9 to 8.3 kg plant −1 ). Organic matter supplementation may provide the basis for a more favorable sink/source balance for tomato cropping. We conclude that organic supplementation represents a beneficial management measure to increase the effectiveness of soil solarization, and that these results provide encouragement for the future commercial application of this environmentally-friendly technique.soil solarization / organic supplementation / soil properties / tomato / plant growth / fruit yield

Exploring the impact of non-chemical methods on the control of bulb mite (Rhizoglyphus robini Claparáde) and yield of saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

“…The results obtained here are consistent with the reduction of mite populations in gladioli and garlic fields (Gerson & Smiley 1990) and onion fields (Ono et al 1993) following solarisation treatment. Furthermore, Mauromicale et al (2010) suggested solarisation as a useful and environmentally friendly soil-disinfestation method that increases the yield of tomatoes. More recently, Gill et al (2017) have reviewed the benefits of solarisation for pest control of crops in various parts of India.…”

Greenhouse Soil Biosolarization with Tomato Plant Debris as Unique Fertilizer for Tomato Crops

“…Mauromicale et al [44] reported an increase in tomato yield (up to 70% depending on treatment) when organic matter composed of cow dung, poultry manure and leather was incorporated into the soil prior to solarization. Again, Mauromicale et al [16] found that the addition of compost based on cattle or horse manure prior to solarization (i.e.…”

Eradication of Orobanche/Phelipanche spp. seedbank by soil solarization and organic supplementation

“…It is well known that incorporating organic materials can improve the nutrient status of the soil and promote higher levels of microbial population and activity . In Mediterranean greenhouse tomato crops it has been demonstrated that organic supplementation prior to solarization promotes a long lasting increase (up to 9 months) in total N, exchangeable K 2 O and available P 2 O 5 content within the soil, thereby enhancing growth and developmental processes and yield, through a more favorable source-sink balance of the plant (Mauromicale et al, 2010). In our experiment, organic supplementation showed a strong synergistic effect with soil solarization in affecting the viability of broomrape seedbank, so that this was annulled already by combining 0.35 kg m −2 of organic supplementation and a single cycle of soil solarization.…”

“…Such effect can be attributable in part to the increased thermal regime of solarized soil recorded in response to organic supplementation. However, it must pointed out that the effects of soil solarization against soil-borne pathogens and parasites also depend on the increased concentration of volatile toxic compounds within the soil, and that this effect is amplified by biologically-active molecules released upon a heatdriven decay of organic amendments during solarization (Katan, 1981;Gamliel, 2000;Mauromicale et al, 2010). The results of the present experiment suggests that combining organic amendment and soil solarization, beyond increasing greenhouse tomato yield, could have a pivotal role in developing more efficient farm-scale programs aimed at both eradicating broomrape seedbank and safeguarding long-term soil fertility.…”

“…Beyond the thermal effect, soil solarization causes physical, chemical and microbiological modifications within the soil, so avoiding the creation of a biological vacuum, stimulating root growth, increasing crop yield and improving the product quality in a number of vegetable crops (Stapleton and DeVay, 1984;Chellemi and Rosskopf, 2004;Camprubi et al, 2007). All these effects are improved when soil solarization is combined with organic fertilization (biofumigation) (Matthiessen and Kirkegaard, 2006), because of the higher temperatures reached within the soil (Simmons et al, 2013) along with the release of volatile compounds (Gamliel and Stapleton, 1993;Klein et al, 2007), increased minerals availability and improved crops yield performances (Scopa et al, 2009;Mauromicale et al, 2010Mauromicale et al, , 2011. In addition, it has been demonstrated that manure fertilization increases the killing effects of soil solarization against O. crenata Forssk.…”