Soil solarization

D Addabbo T, Miccolis V, Basile M, Candido V (2009) Soil solarization and sustainable agriculture. A review. In Lichtouse E (ed) Sustainable agriculture reviews, vol 3. Springer, pp 217-274. In press. This volume... 

Keywords Alternatives Integrated management Nematodes Soil solarization Soilbome pathogens Weeds... 

Numerous and complex mechanisms are reported in literature for soil solarization effects, involving also the combination of several interrelated processes (Katan 1987 Stapleton and DeVay 1995 Stapleton 1997), but main effects of solarization treatments were found related essentially to the thermal action of solarization and the consequent chemical and biological changes occurring in the soil. 

Application of plastic films for soil solarization requires specific equipments and time-spending procedures, as well as the plastic disposal at crop end can be expensive and represent a serious environmental problem (Parish et al. 2000). 

Fig. 9.3 Degradation of a biodegradable plastic film after soil solarization in a field experiment in Southern Italy (courtesy of dr Donato Castronuovo)...

Field soil solarization was effective in dramatically reducing or completely eliminating the infection of Pythium spp. in carrot (Daucus carota L.) and strawberry roots (Becker and Wrona 1995 Pinkerton et al. 2002), as well as reduced inoculum levels of P. aphanidermatum in watermelon and potato down to 25-30 cm soil depth (Mansoori and Jaliani 1996 Triki et al. 2001). Summer soil solarization in greenhouse reduced Pythium root rot even in the temperate climate of Denmark (Christensen and Thinggaard 1999). 

Fate of plant viruses after a soil solarization treatment was almost completely ignored by researchers, as only one study documented a stabilizing effect of heat treatment on tobacco mosaic virus degradation in a sandy loam soil (Triolo and Materazzi 1992). 

Since the first demonstration of soil solarization effectiveness against phytonematodes (Katan et al. 1976), nematicidal effects of solar heating were largely investigated on many genera of plant-parasitic nematodes. 

Fig. 9.4 Effect of soil solarization on root galling in tomato plants in soil infested by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in plastic greenhouse in Sothem Italy. On the left a tomato root from solarized soil, on the right a root from nonsolarized soil, deformed by large galls...

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