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Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

DOI

-

Abstract

This study aimed to establish the economic and technical applicability of the alternative control methods to methyl bromide (MB) in pepper and eggplant. These crops were grown in plastic houses and tunnels including open field strawberry cultivation in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey and were assessed over the 2000-2002 growing season. In addition the study using a pre and post questionnaire aimed to monitor the change in farmer practices who have adopted alternative techniques other than MB, and their understanding of the environmental concerns associated with MB such as ozone depletion. Experiments were conducted under farmer's field conditions, and solarization was combined with fresh cow manure, low dosage pesticides and/or antagonistic microorganisms. Effect of these treatments on soil-borne pathogens and nematodes were determined, and also yield.The results indicated solarization combined with dazomet at 400 kg ha^{-1} was just as effective as MB application to soil-borne diseases and nematode control in plastic-houses. In this treatment, yield was obtained as much as in MB treatments in eggplant, while pepper and strawberry yield was less. Yield was determined as 109 and 36 t ha^{-1} in fresh cow manure combined with solarization treatment, however it was 115 and 51 t ha^{-1} in MB in eggplant and strawberry, respectively. This application was preferred to the MB alternative due to its low cost applicability. Results obtained from the questionnaire indicated that 91% of the farmers were using MB in 2000, and this decreased to 66% by 2002. Farmers' awareness to the alternative applications to MB increasing from 3% to 13%, and that MB is an ozone depleting fumigant over the same period rose from 7% to 13%.

Keywords

Methyl bromide, solarization, dazomet, soil-borne pathogen, root-knot nematode, questionnaire

First Page

47

Last Page

53

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