For decades, methyl bromide has been an extremely important tool for vegetable, strawberry, deciduous fruit, nursery, and ornamental growers in their efforts to combat soil-dwelling nematodes, diseases, and weeds. But the fumigant is being phased outbecause of its harmful effects on the Earth's protective stratospheric ozone layer, and alternative fumigants are presenting new challenges for growers and regulatory officials who want to keep the air clean. The Agricultural Research Service has been conducting research to find the best alternatives to the fumigant since the mid-1990s, and because of the issue's critical importance, the agency initiated a special areawide pest-management project 5 years ago that made several additional research efforts possible. As part of that 5-year effort, ARS researchers in Florida and California are helping to minimize release of the alternative fumigants into the atmosphere with studies focused on fiimigant emission rates and the effectiveness of tarps used asbarriers to cover fumigated soil. The work also is designed to assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulators charged with developing new fumigant requirements to better protect people who use them or live near treated fields.
展开▼
