Sep 29, 2015

Can steam disinfest California strawberries? eVGN February 2015

Combined with other methods, steam disinfestation could help California strawberry growers adapt to increasing fumigant restrictions, according to Steve Fennimore, an Extension specialist with the University of California, Davis.

Fennimore recently spoke during the North American Strawberry Growers Association Annual Conference in Ventura, California. He said steam, which controls most soil pests, has long been used for soil disinfestation in greenhouses, but previous attempts to use it in fields have been frustrated by slow speeds and high energy costs.

Steam is arguably the most effective non-fumigant method of soil disinfestation, however, and as California growers are allowed to use fumigants less and less, it will most likely play a bigger role in the state’s strawberry production. And steam technology has not been static, he said.

Despite its promising attributes, steam should not be viewed as a replacement for fumigants. It should be viewed as a component of an integrated set of fumigant and non-fumigant practices, Fennimore said.

– Matt Milkovich