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Accelerated Degradation of Soil Fumigants: Occurrence and Agricultural Consequences

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Recent Developments in Management of Plant Diseases

Part of the book series: Plant Pathology in the 21st Century ((ICPP,volume 1))

Abstract

Accelerated degradation (AD) of pesticides occurs following repeated their application to the same soil, resulting in a rapid loss of the pesticide, and in ineffective control of soilborne pests. Accelerated degradation is well known with regular pesticides, much less so with soil fumigants. AD to fumigants can rapidly develop in certain soils even following single application. It frequently results from the enrichment of populations of degrading microorganisms in the soils. Cross degradation of structurally related chemicals was also reported with soil fumigants, resulting in AD of a fumigant in soils which were not treated with this fumigant before. AD persists in soil for a long period, as few years are needed for soil to recover once AD has been induced. Revealing the microbial mechanism of AD of soil fumigants and the factors which enhance or suppress these processes is very important as it can provide tools for managing it. Management of soil in which AD of fumigants has been developed, should include strategies to prevent the development of AD. These strategies should be exercised in every treated soil, as the potential for AD to develop can be realized. Crop rotation and combined methods of control are viable tools for avoiding the negative effect of accelerated degradation, as well as of for slowing down the buildup of population of soilborne plant pathogens. Management of soil in which AD is already present should involve approaches to suppress the populations of the degrading microorganisms, combined with strategies to ensure pest control and crop productivity.

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Acknowledgements

Contribution 709/08 series from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agricultural Engineering, ARO, The Volcani Center Bet Dagan, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Abraham Gamliel & Shachaf Triky-Dotan

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  1. Abraham Gamliel
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  2. Shachaf Triky-Dotan
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Correspondence to Abraham Gamliel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Product Biology, Syngenta Crop Protection, Basel, 4002, Switzerland

    Ulrich Gisi

  2. Fac. Agriculture, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76 100, Israel

    I. Chet

  3. Centro di Competenza per, Università di Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, Grugliasco, 10095, Italy

    Maria Lodovica Gullino

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Gamliel, A., Triky-Dotan, S. (2010). Accelerated Degradation of Soil Fumigants: Occurrence and Agricultural Consequences. In: Gisi, U., Chet, I., Gullino, M. (eds) Recent Developments in Management of Plant Diseases. Plant Pathology in the 21st Century, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8804-9_22

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