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Ethanedinitrile (C 2N 2) - A novel soil fumigant for strawberry production
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Ethanedinitrile (C 2N 2) - A novel soil fumigant for strawberry production

S.W. Mattner, R.K. Gounder, R.C. Mann, I.J. Porter, J.N Matthiessen, Y.L. Ren and M. Sarwar
Acta Horticulturae, Vol.708, pp.197-203
2006
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Abstract

For the first time, ethanedinitrile (C 2N 2, EDN) was examined as an alternative to the ozone-degrading fumigant, methyl bromide (MB), for soil disinfestation in the nursery production of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa). In microplot studies, EDN killed buried inoculum of several soil-borne pathogens of strawberry (Pythium ultimum, Phytophthora cactorum, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia fragariae and Rhizoctonia solani) and reduced natural populations of plant-parasitic nematodes (Tylenchus and Helicotylenchus spp.) to levels equivalent to MB. EDN was most efficacious when it was injected at depth into soil (20 cm) and sealed with low-density polyethylene. In field trials, EDN reduced the emergence of weeds (Poa annua, Spregula arvensis, Agrostis tenuis and Raphanus raphanistrum) by 98%, and increased strawberry runner yields by 135%, which was equivalent to MB. Although trials are continuing, these preliminary results demonstrate a strong potential for EDN as an alternative to MB for strawberry production.

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