Comparative study on five alternative technologies of using methyl bromide in soil fumigation

The demonstration experiment was conducted in four greenhouses with tomato crop in Qingzhou of Shandong Province for the aim to identify some technologies which were feasible under the current conditions in agricultural production, economical and social sector of China. Five alternative technologies were chosen in the experiment. They were MB (methyl bromide) +VIF (virtually impermeable film), MS (metham sodium), MS+VIF, SS (soil solarization) + BCAs (biological control agents), and resistant rootstock (SIS-1, Lycopersicon lycopersicum ×L. hirsutum). Integrated evaluation of the above five alternatives was realized by investigation of the effectiveness in soil fumigation, the dead rate of young plants after transplantation, growth conditions of tomato, the yield and fruit quality and the incidence of root-knot nematode. The experimental results in 2002～2003 indicated: (1) The resistant rootstock (SIS-1) introduced from Italy was a successful alternative technology to use methyl bromide while it was grafted with the local cultivar Maofen; (2) The metham sodium was also an effective alternative technology; (3) The VIF was feasible as a transitional technology to reduce the applied dosage of methyl bromide; (4) The SS+BCA could not be taken as an effective alternative technology to use methyl bromide in soil fumigation.