Abstract
Soil solarization is the use of solar radiation to disinfest moist soil covered with clear polyethylene mulch during warm months. Beneficial effects of soil solarization are lower pathogen populations, reduced disease, and higher yield. Information on the duration of solarization benefits is necessary to achieve effective and efficient implementation of this management strategy. A 3-year study investigated effects of single- and multiple-year soil solarization on Pythium spp., Pseudomonas spp., and damping-off of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Soil was solarized 10 weeks in 2003 only; 2004 only; 2003 and 2004; 2004 and 2005; 2003, 2004, and 2005; or not solarized. Soil was sampled from 0 to 10 cm deep and population densities of Pythium spp. and Pseudomonas spp. assayed at monthly intervals from the start of solarization until 2 months after solarization. Cucumber and broccoli were planted one month after solarization ended or plots were left fallow. During solarization, soil temperatures increased 2.5 to 4.5°C in solarized soils compared to those in nonsolarized soils. In general, microbial counts in all years were lower throughout the solarization period in solarized soils than in nonsolarized soils. During the 2-month period following solarization, Pythium spp. increased in soils solarized 1 or 2 years but not in soils solarized 3 years. However, postsolarization Pythium spp. densities in soils solarized 3 years were high enough that there were no differences in Pythium spp. densities among solarized soils. No differences in microbial populations were found among solarization treatments applied in the current year irrespective of whether the soil was previously solarized, planted, or fallowed. One year after solarization, there were no differences in population densities between soils solarized or not solarized the previous year. Incidences of damping-off were not different among treatments. Under conditions in the southeastern United States, soil solarization is a disinfestation method that should be applied each season prior to planting, because beneficial effects of reducing microbial populations do not persist in the following years.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Solarized soils were 2.5 to 4.5°C warmer than nonsolarized soils.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
Brassica oleracea var. italicat0 - Treatment
- solarized soilse0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturese0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 2.5 to 4.5°Ce0
- Comparator
- nonsolarized soilse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil temperatures increased 2.5 to 4.5°C in solarized soils compared to those in nonsolarized soils”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil microbial counts were generally lower during solarization than in nonsolarized soil.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Treatment
- solarized soilse0
- Outcome
- microbial countse0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- nonsolarized soilse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“microbial counts in all years were lower throughout the solarization period in solarized soils than in nonsolarized soils”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
Pythium populations increased after one or two years of solarization.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Outcome
- Pythium spp. increasede0
- Direction
- increasede0
.jpg?width=60){kind=small}
PythiumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
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Verbatim
e0“Pythium spp. increased in soils solarized 1 or 2 years but not in soils solarized 3 years”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
Pythium populations did not increase after three years of solarization.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Outcome
- Pythium spp.e0
- Direction
- note0
- Qualifier
- soils solarized 3 yearse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pythium spp. increased in soils solarized 1 or 2 years but not in soils solarized 3 years”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
Postsolarization Pythium densities did not differ among solarized soils.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Outcome
- Pythium spp. densitiese0
- Direction
- no differencese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there were no differences in Pythium spp. densities among solarized soils”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
Microbial populations did not differ among current-year solarization treatments regardless of prior solarization, planting or fallow.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Treatment
- solarization treatmentse0
- Outcome
- microbial populationse0
- Direction
- No differencese0
- Comparator
- previously solarized, planted, or fallowede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“No differences in microbial populations were found among solarization treatments applied in the current year irrespective of whether the soil was previously solarized, planted, or fallowed.”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
One year later, microbial population densities did not differ between previously solarized and unsolarized soils.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Treatment
- soils solarizede0
- Outcome
- population densitiese0
- Direction
- no differencese0
- Comparator
- not solarizede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“One year after solarization, there were no differences in population densities between soils solarized or not solarized the previous year.”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
Damping-off incidence did not differ among treatments.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Treatment
- treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Incidences of damping-offe0
- Direction
- not differente0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Incidences of damping-off were not different among treatments.”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend applying soil solarization each season before planting in the southeastern United States.
- Taxon
- Broccoli and CucumberCucumis sativusBrassica oleracea var. italicat0
- Outcome
- soil solarization is a disinfestation method that should be applied each season prior to plantinge0
- Setting
- southeastern United Statese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under conditions in the southeastern United States, soil solarization is a disinfestation method that should be applied each season prior to planting”
t0“Broccoli and Cucumber”
The same questions in other papers
solarization · pest · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Positive and negative results
1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
solarization · pest · Cucumis sativus (cucumber)Positive and negative results
3 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- positive
solarization · soil: biology · Cucumis sativus (cucumber)Results agree
3 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.